News

By Mohamed Ali Marouani To tackle the deficits in their pension systems, should governments in Arab countries raise social security contributions, reduce pension levels or increase the statutory retirement age?...more

By Mustafa Babiker The Paris Agreement on climate change has set ambitious targets for reducing the carbon footprints of the signatory countries. This column outlines the commitments and challenges for policy-makers in the Middle East and North Africa...more    

By Sergei Guriev What can reformers in the MENA region learn from the transition experiences of the formerly communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union?...more

By Khalid Sekkat Countries in the Middle East and North Africa don’t typically score well in term of corruption. This column looks at anti-corruption strategies around the world to explore what might be done...more

By Nelly El Mallakh Egypt’s period of euphoria following the toppling of Mubarak in 2011 was followed by the sobering realities of the political transition process. This column reports research showing how a wave of dissatisfaction overtook the popular mood,...more

By Raed Safadi What policy actions can help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their integration into the global market for goods, services and ideas? This column outlines recommendations in a new book on the opportunities and challenges facing...more

By Romesh Vaitilingam What are the implications of recent developments in global oil markets for the oil-exporting countries of the Arab region? This column outlines key issues discussed at an ERF conference hosted by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social... Read More

By Sarojini Hirshleifer ,  Rita Almeida ,  David McKenzie and  Cristobal Ridao-Cano Rising unemployment in Turkey during the global financial crisis prompted the government to expand its provision of free vocational training. This column reports an evaluation of the newly introduced... Read More

Overview The Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota announces the availability of a limited number of fellowships for junior scholars from the Arab world to participate in two two-week summer institutes at the Humphrey School, the... Read More