Syria's economic reforms

Syria has always been a basket case economically. It's made even worse now by the decreasing oil prices. As an Arab state, it's not quite as oil-rich as its neighbors, and needs to have a more diverse economy. Since Bashar al-Assad took control in 2000, he's been implementing reforms, but the process has been slow. But why does al-Assad even bother? Sure, Syria may be a formally a democracy, but its Emergency Law has been in place since 1963. It's effectively an authoritarian regime. In that light, why should al-Assad care about liberalizing his economy? He could just carry on, as his father did. Is he benevolent, or far-sighted? Is he simply trying to reassert Syrian's leadership in the region? Is it just a hobby?