After a period of fairly rapid growth for most of the 2000s, Jordan’s economy was exposed to a series of external shocks, starting with the global financial crisis in 2008. This crisis was followed by regional instability brought about by the Arab Spring and civil conflicts in neighboring countries, including Iraq and Syria. These shocks resulted in a dramatic slowdown of economic growth, which dropped to an average of 2.5 percent per annum after 2010, as compared to 6.5 percent per annum from 2000 to 2009 (...