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Low social and political returns to education in the Arab world
By Ishac Diwan Arab societies urgently need to start looking at how to improve education systems, not just in ways to improve the marketability of individuals but, as importantly, to improve their social and political impact on society...more
Better measures of the health of Egypt’s labour market
By Caroline Krafft and Ragui Assaad Policy discussions about the health of Egypt’s labour market focus almost exclusively on one indicator: the unemployment rate. This column argues that the unemployment rate is a poor indicator...more
Brain gain from return migration: evidence from Egypt
By Nelly El Mallakh and Jackline Wahba Far from causing ‘brain drain’ in the developing world, temporary migration can lead to a ‘brain gain’ for the sending countries. This column reports research on Egypt showing that migrants...more
Unemployment and the marginally attached
By Insan Tunali While the standard definition of unemployment is useful for international comparisons, it may not be adequate for assessing the degree of labour market attachment in many developing countries...more
Middle East Initiative
FELLOWSHIP Middle East Initiative The Middle East Initiative offers one-year fellowships for research related to Middle Eastern governance and public policy. Priority will be given to applications pursuing one of these four primary areas of focus: (1) democratizing politics;... Read More
Fiscal rules: how to reduce pro-cyclical public spending
By Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel and Raimundo Soto Fiscal pro-cyclicality is a defining trait of many MENA countries and other emerging economies: public spending typically rises in good times and falls in bad times. This column reports research on the effectiveness of fiscal rules... Read More
Microcredit: choosing between inclusion and impact?
By Ralph De Haas The microfinance industry continues to grow rapidly in the MENA region. This column reports research from across the world showing that giving people access to microcredit does not lead to significant declines in poverty...more
A new exchange rate regime for oil-exporting countries
By Jeffrey Frankel Currency pegs in the Gulf economies have forced monetary policy to be pro-cyclical, exacerbating the effects of swings in the oil market on the business cycle. This column proposes a new exchange rate regime for...more
Global Poverty and Anti-Poverty Policies
ERF held a special event with Prof. Martin Ravallion to address Global Poverty and Anti-Poverty Policies followed by discussion moderated by Dr. Ibrahim El Badawi, Economic Research Forum and Dr. Sherine El Shawarbi, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo... Read More