How Far Do Economic, Political and Security Conditions Affect the Monthly Income of Palestinian Households?

Unpublished working paper, prepared during postgraduate study at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. The full text is in Arabic and available as a PDF from the top of this page.

Research question

Economic, political and security conditions are among the most significant factors shaping the lives of Palestinian individuals and households. Against a background of sustained economic blockade, political conflict and continuous security threats, the study addresses a specific question:

How far do economic, political and security conditions affect the monthly income of Palestinian households?

Data and method

The study uses data from the 2022 Arab Index, applying econometric models with controls for demographic and geographic factors to analyse how these conditions affect household income across different areas of Palestine.

Findings

• A household's economic situation has a positive effect on monthly income: respondents who described their household's economic position as good or very good report higher monthly incomes.
• Average monthly expenditure is the only variable with an effective influence on income, owing to the very close correspondence between expenditure and income — around 78% — which in practice means households spend almost everything they earn, with negligible margin for saving.

Framing

The paper draws on prior literature including UNDP reporting (2020), which found that economic conditions in Palestine contribute to widening disparity between households, deepening poverty and narrowing economic opportunity.