Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Lidia Ceriani

Author

Lidia Ceriani
Associate Teaching Professor

Lidia Ceriani is Assistant Teaching Professor at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. Prior to joining the faculty at Georgetown, she was an Economist at the World Bank in the Poverty and Equity global practice and more recently a team member of the 2017 World Development Report. Between 2007 and 2012, she was a lecturer at Bocconi University where she taught Public Economics and Principles of Economics. She has published in several international journals including the Journal of Economics, the Journal of Economic Inequality, the Journal of Development Studies, Social Indicators Research and the International Journal of Microsimulation. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Economics from the University of Pavia, Italy and a B.A. in Economic and Social Sciences from Bocconi University, Milan, Italy, where she graduated with highest honors. Her research interests include the measurement of poverty and inequality and the impact of public policies on household welfare.

Content by this Author

Bottom incomes and the measurement of poverty and inequality

With negative and zero incomes being widely reported in household surveys, it is essential to understanding who is reporting them in order to generate a consistent ordering among households, and measure poverty and inequality accurately. This column summaries evidence from an investigation of the prevalence and consequences of non-positive incomes using 57 harmonised surveys covering 12 Mediterranean countries over the period 1995-2016.

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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.

Tunisia’s energy transition: the key role of small businesses

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play a critical role in Tunisia’s economy, contributing significantly to GDP and employment. As this column explains, they are also essential for advancing the country’s ambitions to make a successful transition from reliance on fossil fuels to more widespread use of renewable energy sources. A fair distribution of the transition’s benefits across all regions and communities will secure a future where MSMEs thrive as leaders in a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable Tunisia.

The hidden potential of Jordan’s small firms for driving a green transition

For Jordan, a green transition represents an enormous transformative opportunity. But a decade-long increase in the use of renewable energy has not freed the country of its economic woes. This column explores the currently underused yet potentially powerful force of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises – and proposes policies that could improve the investment climate and clear legislative and regulatory barriers.

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.




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