Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Khalid Sekkat

Founding contributors

Khalid Sekkat
University of Brussels, Belgium

Khalid Sekkat is a Professor of Economics at University of Brussels and Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Technologies (Morocco). His research focuses on topics related to Institutional Economics, International Economics and Development Economics. He received his PhD. in Economics from University of Brussels. He is an ERF Research Fellow.

Content by this Author

Anti-corruption strategies: successes and failures

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. Overall evidence points to an absence of monitoring as well as potential capture by governments and donors as the main reasons for the lack of success of such strategies.

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Challenges of conflict and industrial policy for development

How effective is industrial policy as a tool for long-term economic growth and development? Against the backdrop of the conflict currently engulfing the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP), a new report argues that while industrial policies are widely used across the region, they can only address market failures and foster growth when they are aligned with country capabilities, implemented with accountability and backed by capable institutions.

The green transition in MENA economies: challenges and policy pathways

The economies of the Middle East and North Africa are at a critical turning point. Global decarbonisation pressures, energy market volatility and technological transformation are increasingly challenging hydrocarbon-based growth models. This column argues that the green transition is not only an environmental necessity but also a strategic economic imperative.

Beyond job creation: how can Egypt’s gender gap in work be closed?

More than 2 million jobs are needed each year to absorb new entrants into Egypt’s labour market and raise the country’s employment rate. The job challenge is even more acute for women, whose labour force participation remains low despite recent gains in education. This column reports on the second Development Dialogue, an ERF–World Bank Group joint initiative, which brought together students, scholars, policy-makers and private sector leaders at the American University in Cairo to consider how the country’s gender gap in work can be closed.

The political economy of algorithms in the Middle East

The Middle East is entering a new political-economic era – one in which algorithms, data and artificial intelligence may become as strategically important as oil once was. Across the region, governments are investing heavily in digital infrastructure, smart governance and AI-driven economic transformation. This column outlines how AI and algorithmic governance are reshaping power, inequality and state capacity in the region.




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