Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Ernest Sergenti

Author

Ernest Sergenti
Senior Economist, The World Bank

Ernest John Sergenti is a Senior Research Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa region. Ernest returned to the World Bank in 2017 after three years as an Assistant Vice President at Moody’s Investors Service, where he was the lead analyst for the Caucasus and Central Asia. Within the World Bank, Ernest has also worked as a macro economist, within the Western and Central Africa and South Asia regions, specializing in resource-rich economies, productivity analysis, macroeconomic modeling, and political institutional analysis. Ernest was also a Research Fellow and Statistical Consultant at Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science. He holds a PhD in Political Science, with concentrations in Political Economy and Econometrics, from New York University and a Master of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics. Ernest has co-authored several publications, including articles in the Journal of Political Economy and the American Journal of Political Science, on economic growth, political party competition, the effectiveness of UN Peacekeeping operations, and the impacts of economic shocks on civil conflict.

Content by this Author

MENA’s unexpectedly low inflation

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, inflation rates in most countries of the Middle East and North Africa have been lower than in Europe and the United States. This column explores why – and what are the implications for government budgets.

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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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