Central Bank Independence in North Africa

CIGI Policy Brief No. 36

March 17, 2014

Securing central bank independence (CBI) has become best practice in global governance. Both the political and economic literatures suggest that CBI facilitates price stability, promotes transparency to citizens and provides accountability toward the public good. The impact of the Arab uprisings seems to have provided the necessary push for securing CBI in the North African region. Progress toward CBI in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, has been observed as all three countries responded to the uprisings with constitutional reforms. While none of these countries can claim to have achieved CBI to the same degree as some of the central banks of the major advanced countries, they have all instituted some measures toward greater CBI. Offering the first policy study on CBI in North Africa since the uprisings, this brief argues in favour of furthering reforms by promoting transparency, meritocracy and an open-learning culture to solidify the modest gains made in CBI in the region.

About the Authors

Bessma Momani is a CIGI senior fellow with a Ph.D. in political science, focusing on international political economy. She is currently on sabbatical from the University of Waterloo at the NATO Defense College where she is a fellow examining research and development of emerging and disruptive technologies in dual‑use applications.

Former Senior Research Associate, Global Economy