Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Islem Khefacha

Author

Islem Khefacha
Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics Sciences and Management of Mahdia- University of Monastir

Islem Khefacha is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics Sciences and Management of Mahdia- University of Monastir, where he is Vice-Dean-Director of Studies since Decembre 2020, and had served as Head of the Quantitative Methods Departement from 2017 to 2020. He is member of the Laboratory Research for Economy, Management and Quantitative Finance, IHEC - University of Sousse, Tunisia. He earned his PhD in Quantitative Methods from the University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia, and his Master Research Degree from University of Paris Dauphine, France. Dr. Khefacha published several papers in several indexing journals and chapters in Books and participated in a range of forums particularly on Business and Entrepreneurship. He also presented various academic as well as research-based papers at several International Conferences. Applied econometrics with a focus on time series and panel data are at the center of his research.

Content by this Author

Gender and corruption in MENA countries

The Middle East and North Africa is generally thought to be among the parts of the world where corruption spreads the fastest – and this is despite the progress of legislation in some MENA countries and the economic wealth in others. The role of women in the fight against corruption in the region is often ignored and underestimated. This column argues that more gender egalitarianism in a fair system can enhance efforts to reduce corruption.

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Empowering Egypt’s young people for the future of work

Egypt’s most urgent priority is creating more and better jobs for its growing youth population. This column reports on the first Development Dialogue, an ERF–World Bank joint initiative, which brought together students, scholars, policy-makers and private sector leaders at Cairo University to confront the country’s labour market challenge. The conversation explored why youth inclusion matters, what the data show and how dialogue and the forthcoming Country Economic Memorandum can inform practical pathways to accelerate job creation.

Preparing youth for the workforce of the future

As economies undergo rapid digital and green transformations, young people face a growing mismatch between their skills and what the modern labour market needs. This column argues that enabling youth to compete in the workforce of the future requires systemic reforms in education, skills formation and labour market institutions, especially in developing economies.

Connectivity and conflict: understanding the risks of inequality in the Middle East

While high inequality does not always lead to conflict, new research reported in this column shows that widespread internet access acts as a catalyst, transforming economic grievances into political instability. For policy-makers in the Middle East and North Africa, this means that as digital connectivity expands, the security costs of ignoring economic disparities rise dramatically. The combination of idle youth, high inequality and high-speed internet is a volatile mix.

The political economy of stalled structural reforms in MENA

There is a persistent pattern to the structural reforms that are required to underpin economic progress in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa: ambitious strategies are announced and partially implemented, but ultimately they are diluted or reversed. This column argues that the repeated stalling of reform is not primarily a failure of economic design. Rather, it reflects deep-seated political economy constraints rooted in rent dependence, elite bargaining and weak institutional credibility. Without addressing these underlying dynamics, reform efforts are likely to remain symbolic rather than transformative.

Closing the gender gap in political participation in MENA

Women across the Middle East and North Africa participate less than men in politics – not only in political parties and elections, but also in petitions, boycotts, protests and strikes. This column reports evidence from ten countries showing that differences in education, employment and political attitudes explain part of this disparity, yet a significant gender gap remains.




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