Fatma El-Hamidi

University of Pittsburgh

Fatma El-HamidiFatma El-Hamidi, Ph.D. received her graduate studies from The University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1996. Fatma El-Hamidi teaches courses at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), and the Department of Economics, at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Fatma El-Hamidi's research has been published in academic journals. She is a member of several economic associations in and out of the United States.

Broadband: is MENA ready?

To what extent is broadband in the Middle East and North Africa affordable, accessible and supportive of innovation? This column reviews the region’s digital readiness as reflected in the quality of broadband networks and their affordability, accessibility and usage.

Employment polarisation and deskilling of the educated in Egypt

To what extent is Egypt’s labour market becoming polarised into well paid high-skilled occupations and low-wage manual jobs? This column reports evidence of marked wage compression in absolute and relative terms along the occupational spectrum; deskilling of college-educated workers once they join the workforce; and a needless escalation in demand for higher education.

Obstacles to doing business in Egypt

A key question put to firms in the World Bank’s Enterprise Surveys focuses on their perceptions of the biggest obstacles to doing business. This column reports evidence from the 2016 survey of establishments in Egypt, which shows how the obstacles that top business people report is influenced by the size of their firms, the industry, the geographical location, the market orientation and the managers’ level of education.

Technical and vocational education in Egypt: the missing link

Recent notable developments in Egypt’s educational system include an agreement between the government and private firms to enhance the provision of technical and vocational education (TVE). This column assesses the potential effectiveness of the initiative, and proposes ways to achieve a better match between the demand for and supply of skills in different sectors of the economy.

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.

Digitalisation, global value chains and regional integration in MENA & SSA

Participation in global value chains is vital for countries pursuing structural transformation and inclusive economic development. This column summarises new evidence on how much production processes have been globalised in Africa and the Middle East relative to other regions; whether this process has taken place with partners within or outside the region; and whether it has taken place more in manufacturing or services.

How trade policy can reduce MENA’s cereal import vulnerability

Heavy dependence on imported cereals, combined with climate change, water scarcity and geopolitical uncertainty, continues to threaten food resilience across MENA. This column explains how an inclusive trade policy can play a key role in making the region’s food security less vulnerable to shocks.

The Forum ERF

ERF