Economic Research Forum (ERF)

John W. Goodell

Author

John W. Goodell
Professor, College of Business, University of Akron

John W. Goodell is a Professor in the College of Business of The University of Akron. His research interests focus on the impact on financial systems of national culture, and institutions. In 2011 he received the Stockholm School of Economics/Women in the Academy of International Business Award for Increased Gender Awareness in International Business Research. His research has been highlighted in numerous media outlets including the Washington Post, PBS NewsHour, and Bloomberg Businessweek, as well as the blogs of the Columbia University and Duke University law schools. He is formerly Assistant Editor of the Journal of Teaching in International Business, and formerly served on the Board of the Southwestern Finance Association. Since completing his PhD from Kent State University in 2008, he has co-authored over 115 articles and book chapters, including articles in the Journal of Banking and Finance, International Business Review, Energy Economics, and the Journal of Business Ethics. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of Elsevier’s Research in International Business and Finance; as well as an Associate Editor for several leading finance journals. He is frequently invited to speak at international conferences and events.

Content by this Author

Gender differences in business record-keeping and planning in Iraq

Only one in every ten informal businesses in Iraq is led by a woman. Yet as research summarised in this column reveals, those businesses are more likely to set budgets and sales targets, and to keep business records. This may be evidence of the role of social exclusion in motivating greater reliance on the formal bureaucratic system.

Most read

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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