TSUCHIYA Ichiki

TSUCHIYA Ichiki

TSUCHIYA Ichiki
[Belonging・Position] Middle Eastern Studies Group, Area Studies Center
[Research Field] Economy of the Middle East, Development Economics
[email] Ichiki_Tsuchiya E-mail
Profile Information (Research history, education, papers & publications)

Previous research

I have studied economic reforms and the process of local companies' growth in Egypt and other Arab countries in the Middle East. From the perspective that greater economic liberalization in the Middle East in the 1990s led to the pursuit of private sector expansion, my research has focused on clarifying the process of economic reforms and their results, including Egypt’s privatization policy, Jordan’s trade liberalization, and private sector companies’ growth in Arab countries.

Also, I have endeavored to explain changes in and the characteristics of the economic paradigm under the Sisi regime, including the reconstruction of political and economic systems, trends in economic development, and revised social policies in post-Arab Spring Egypt.

Current research projects

Focusing on Arab countries in the Middle Eastern, I am working mainly on the following three topics.

The first topic is economic development policy. Many Middle Eastern countries have put forward long-term economic development plans that are in line with global trends in economic development, including the Sustainable Development Goals and decarbonization. For each country’s economic development policy, I examine the underlying principles, the state of progress in various sectors, and the effects on society.

The second topic is the social security system in Egypt, which has been undergoing sweeping reforms. I am examining the mechanisms, implementation process, and effects on poverty reduction of the new social security system, aiming to understand its characteristics and issues.

The third topic is the relationship between governments and companies. In many Middle Eastern countries, both the government and major private sector companies have benefited from building close ties with each other under an authoritarian political system. However, the relationship between governments and companies has been forced to change because of economic reforms and the emergence of the digital economy. I analyze changes in the relationship between governments and companies in Middle Eastern countries based on case studies and examine changes in the business environment that companies face and their implications for future corporate growth.