Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Jasmin Fouad

Author

Jasmin Fouad
Professor, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University and American University in Cairo

Jasmin Fouad is an associate professor of economics and finance at the Department of Management, School of Business, The American University in Cairo (AUC). She has worked as a training manager at the Egyptian Banking Institute (2004-2006) and as an economic advisor to the chairman of the National Postal Office (2006-2007), and advisor to the chairman of the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority (2009-2011). She was the deputy manager of the International Relations Office at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science (2013-2014) and the manager of the Center for Economic and Financial Research and Studies during the period (2014-2016). She was the academic coordinator of the Professional Master in Gender and Development at Cairo University and the manager of the women’s unit (2016-2019). She is a consultant to numerous international entities in Egypt ( UNDP, ILO, and UNESCO). She is also a member of Cairo University’s committee on the national anti-corruption strategy and a member of the Economic Committee of the Ministry of Culture, Egypt. She has organized national and international conferences and published national and international articles on corporate social responsibility, microfinance, the Egyptian stock exchange, foreign direct investment, financial regulation, central bank independence, mergers and acquisitions, family planning and gender-responsive budgeting.

Content by this Author

Public banks and development in Egypt

In Egypt, the role of public development banks is played by three government-owned commercial banks, namely National Bank of Egypt, Banque Misr and Banque du Caire. This column outlines the contributions they have made to the economy in recent times, including maintaining financial stability, promoting small businesses and enhancing financial inclusion. Digitalisation, financing the budget deficit and the aftermath of the pandemic are continuing challenges.

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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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