Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Arsalan Safari

Author

Arsalan Safari
Associate Professor, Qatar University

Dr. Arsalan Safari is an associate professor at Qatar University. His research as well as his teaching interests include innovation, entrepreneurship, operations management and business financing. He completed a postdoctoral program at MIT, Sociotechnical Systems Research Center in the USA where he focused on innovation, enterprise architecture and transformation. He received his Ph.D. in management (management of technology) from the University of Waterloo, Canada and his master of engineering in design and manufacturing from the University of Western Ontario (Western University), Canada. He has published various journal papers in high-ranked peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Safari worked for nearly six years in the banking industry, in senior-level positions in Canada.

Content by this Author

Self-employment in MENA: the role of religiosity and personal values

How important are individual’s values and beliefs in influencing the likelihood that they will embrace the responsibilities, risks and entrepreneurial challenge of self-employment? This column presents evidence from 12 countries in the Middle East and North African region on the roles of people’s religiosity and sense of personal agency in their labour market choices.

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A Macroeconomic Accounting of Unemployment in Jordan:  Unemployment is mainly an issue for adults and men

Since unemployment rates in Jordan are higher among young people and women than other groups, unemployment is commonly characterised as a youth and gender issue. However, the majority of the country’s unemployed are adults and men. This suggests that unemployment is primarily a macroeconomic issue challenge for the entire labour market. The appropriate response therefore is coordinated fiscal, monetary, structural and institutional policies, while more targeted measures can still benefit specific groups.

Global value chains and sustainable development

What is the role of exchange rate undervaluation in promoting participation in global value chains by firms in developing countries? What is the impact of the stringency of national environmental regulations on firms’ GVC participation? And how do firms’ political connections affect their participation in GVCs? These questions will be explored for the MENA region at a special session of the ERF annual conference, which takes place in Cairo in April 2025.

Adoption of decentralised solar energy: lessons from Palestinian households

The experience of Palestinian households offers a compelling case study of behavioural adaptation to energy poverty via solar water heater adoption. This column highlights the key barriers to solar energy adoption in terms of both the socio-economic status and dwellings of potential users. Policy-makers need to address these barriers to ensure a just and equitable transition, particularly for households in conflict-affected areas across the MENA region.




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