This brief investigates the effects of the Palestinian Labor Law on unemployment duration for young Palestinians entering the labor market.

MEYI Policy Outlook 2, March 2009, Nader Kabbani This policy outlook examines how public sector employment policies in Syria affect the transition from school to work for young people. Framed within the context of Syria’s transition from a command economy to a social market economy, the analysis highlights how the country’s traditional socioeconomic model still holds sway and drives employment preferences among youth. Despite the country’s effort to shift away from government interventions to private sector solutions, incentives in the public sector – higher wages, benefits, pension coverage, and job security – continue to reinforce preferences among youth for public sector employment. The policy outlook concludes with a set of recommendations to aid Syria’s transition and create new opportunities for young people.

This brief examines the role of housing policy reforms in curbing delays in marriage for young men by increasing access to housing and reducing the need for large capital outlays for initial housing upon marriage. The authors present evidence that the long-term trend of rising age of marriage among young men in Egypt has been reversed in recent years. The analysis shows that this observed decline is in part due to housing policy reforms introduced in 1996. The assessment concludes with a discussion of implications for policy makers in promoting access to affordable housing and reducing waithood for young men.