Ghada Barsoum is an Associate Professor (with tenure) and the Chair of the Department of Public Policy and Administration at The American University in Cairo (AUC). Barsoum has more than sixty publications including articles in reputable top peer-reviewed journals; technical reports, book chapters, encyclopedia entries, policy papers and a book on women's employment. She writes and teaches on issues pertaining to social policies in the Middle East, gender, higher education, and employment policies. Barsoum has consulted for a number of organizations including the International Labor Organization, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF and the World Bank. Prior to joining AUC, Barsoum was research associate at the Population Council, West Asia and North Africa Office, where she spearheaded efforts for a national survey on youth in Egypt. Barsoum obtained her PhD in Sociology from the University of Toronto and her master’s degree from AUC.
The rates of participation of Egyptian workers in contributory social insurance has continued to decline, even during times when the country has had positive annual growth rates. This column discusses key institutional elements in the design of the current social insurance scheme that have contributed to the growing gap in coverage, particularly the scheme’s cost and eligibility requirements.