Will the 'Arab Spring' bring economic transformation?

The recent political turmoil, the so-called ‘Arab Spring’, could ultimately lead to a marked acceleration in economic growth for some parts of the Arab World. Egypt, Morocco and, to a lesser extent, Saudi Arabia have the most scope to boost their economies. We think that reforms could lift regional growth to about 5% a year in the next 20 years or so, up from 4% over the past two decades. Moreover, the new consumers in the poor Arab countries could help to boost world demand by $500 billion in 2030, equivalent to around 0.3% of global output.