This book examines over half a century of economic policy in Egypt through an assessment of the extent to which it has achieved the structural transformation which comes with growth. In particular, the book asks whether economic development in Egypt has been marked by successful industrialization shifting over time to high-productivity sectors.

In tracing Egypt's industrial development since 1952, the book considers the state of structural transformation and diversification of the Egyptian economy, the extent to which industrial policy was a success, and whether it structurally transformed the economy. The book also assesses what policy makers in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East can learn from the past, in order to ensure sustained economic growth in the future.