Economic and Social Development in Tunisia 2007-2011

Introduction

Tunisia has followed a comprehensive and prospective development approach, anticipating the rapid transformations in a world context triggered by an expanding globalization and accompanied by a growing importance of knowledge, the control of technology, the development of immaterial economy and the emergence of new processes and modes of production and marketing. This approach has placed man in the forefront of development priorities inasmuch as he is considered to be, at the same time, the most important objective and means in the process of creation and distribution of wealth. This particular interest is reflected in the essential place given to the social dimension in the development approach, a dimension that constitutes indeed the keystone in the establishment of a modern and balanced society capable of guaranteeing equal opportunity for all classes and eliminating all forms of exclusion and marginalization. In effect, thanks to this exhaustive view and to the concordance of the different dimensions of development, Tunisia has managed, over the past decade and particularly during the XthPlan period, to make convincing socioeconomic gains and to score numerous successes in the various fields and sectors as acknowledged by international authorities and a number of rating agencies which placed Tunisia in the advanced ranks within their annual reports on the economic performance in all countries. The chief gains include the achievement of an annual growth rate of 4.5% on average, an increase in the per capita income to the level of 4054 TD, a reduction in the poverty rate to less than 4%, the creation of 372000 new jobs, and a marked improvement of human and social development indicators as well as of living conditions. While security and social peace - fundamental features of the domestic climate - were essential in achieving the above results, the world economic situation - which proved to be unfavourable owing to the deterioration of worldwide security and its harmful effects on countries, particularly those with emergent economies - has required substantial efforts and an intensification of reforms towards integration and openness, which has contributed, in spite of difficulties, to the achievement of high levels of integration and the conquest of new market positions download