Nazih Deif (4 March 1923 – 10 November 1992) was an Egyptian economist and academic. He worked at the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

(IMF), other leading finance institutions and

Cairo University Cairo University () is Egypt's premier public university. Its main campus is in Giza, immediately across the Nile from Cairo. It was founded on 21 December 1908;"Brief history and development of Cairo University." Cairo University Faculty of En ...

. He served as the minister of planning and minister of treasury in the 1960s during the presidency of

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...

Early life and education

Deif was born on 4 March 1923. He received a degree in economics from Cairo University and a master of science degree in statics from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. He was educated particularly in the theories of the American economist

Walt Rostow Walt Whitman Rostow (; October 7, 1916 – February 13, 2003) was an American economist, professor and political theorist who served as national security advisor to president of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson from 1966 to 1969. Rostow wor ...

Career

In 1953 Deif started his career as an elected member of the Expert Group on Industrialization of the

United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic (UAR; ) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 to 1971. It was initially a short-lived political union between Republic of Egypt (1953–1958), Egypt (including Occupation of the Gaza Strip by the United Ara ...

. In the period between 1957 and 1958 he was the director of economic planning commission of which he served as the director general from 1958 to 1961. He was appointed minister of planning in 1961. His major task was to negotiate with the IMF in relation to economic reforms to be carried out in Egypt. At the time of his appointment Deif was regarded by the American diplomats in Cairo as the most significant economist in the country. Deif remained in office until 1964 when he was named as the governor of the IMF which he held until 1966. During the period between 1964 and 1968 Deif served as the minister of treasury. From 2 October 1965 Deif was part of the cabinet led by

Zakaria Mohieddin Zakaria Mohieddin (, ; 5 July 1918 – 15 May 2012) was an Egyptian military officer, politician, prime minister of Egypt and head of the first Intelligence body in Egypt, the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate. Overview Mohieddin ...

who was the Prime Minister of the United Arab Republic. After retiring from government posts Deif began to teach at Cairo University. In 1970 Deif was appointed executive director of the IMF, and his tenure lasted until 1976. From 1979 to 1981 he was the deputy chairman and managing director of Al Watani Bank in Egypt.

Personal life, work and death

Deif was married and had four children. He was the author of various articles and books on economy and

fiscal policy In economics and political science, fiscal policy is the use of government revenue collection ( taxes or tax cuts) and expenditure to influence a country's economy. The use of government revenue expenditures to influence macroeconomic variab ...

. He later emigrated to the United States, and died in

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston ...

, on 10 November 1992 at the age of 69.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deif, Nazih 1923 births 1992 deaths 20th-century Egyptian economists Ministers of finance of Egypt Independent politicians in Egypt Cairo University alumni Academic staff of Cairo University University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni Managing directors of the International Monetary Fund Egyptian emigrants to the United States Planning ministers of Egypt