Nasser Dine Mohamedou

Economist, Public Policy Specialist, and Data Scientist

Mohamedou Nasser Dine is Mauritania's economist, public policy specialist, and data scientist. He holds a Ph.D. in International Public Policy from Osaka University, Japan, specializing in spatial econometrics and its applications in labor economics and trade. His doctoral dissertation was titled "Spatial Econometrics and its Applications in Labor Economics." Mohamedou earned a Master's degree in Financial Mathematics from Mohammed V University in Morocco. Throughout his academic career, He has published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Japanese Economic Review, the Journal of Economic Integration, and the African Education Review. He has also authored several policy briefs and columns published in the Economic Research Forum. Mohamedou has served as a Project Manager and Head of the Accelerator Lab at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Mauritania and Economic and Banking specialist with UNDP IICPSD in Istanbul. With over seven years of experience in the financial and banking sectors, he has also worked as an economic consultant for the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), Jakarta. His research interests include labor economics, international trade, public economics, education, and applied econometrics. Additionally, Mohamedou has worked as a teaching assistant at Osaka University.

Determinants of school attendance in Mauritania

What are the determinants of school attendance in Mauritania? This column reports on analysis of data from the country’s 2019 National Household Survey, which highlights how factors like gender, age, residency and access to resources such as phones and national identification influence school attendance. The research findings offer insights into the challenges of ensuring equitable access to education and provide a basis for targeted policy interventions.

National economic institutions and participation in the global value chain

The economic institutions of a country – including property rights, business freedom and government integrity – play a central role in determining the extent of its participation in the global value chain. This column reports new research findings on associations between eight economic institutions and integration into international trade networks in a number of countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Employment, global value chains and spillover effects in Turkey

Firms’ involvement in global value chains is increasing rapidly and it is vital for policy-makers to understand the direct effects on domestic employment, as well as spillover effects on the economy. This column sheds light on participation trends in Turkey and its repercussions for jobs.

Productivity, global value chains and cross-industry spillovers in Turkey

Participation in global value chains is widely understood to have positive effects on firms’ productivity. Less appreciated is the significance of input-output interlinkages between industrial sectors as sources of productivity spillovers. This column explores the magnitude of these effects for industries in Turkey.

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.

Adoption of decentralised solar energy: lessons from Palestinian households

The experience of Palestinian households offers a compelling case study of behavioural adaptation to energy poverty via solar water heater adoption. This column highlights the key barriers to solar energy adoption in terms of both the socio-economic status and dwellings of potential users. Policy-makers need to address these barriers to ensure a just and equitable transition, particularly for households in conflict-affected areas across the MENA region.

Migration, human capital and labour markets in MENA

Migration is a longstanding and integral part of the MENA region’s economic and social fabric, with profound implications for labour markets and human capital development. To harness the potential of migration for promoting economic and social development, policy-makers must aim to deliver mutual benefits for origin countries, host countries and migrants. Such a triple-win strategy requires better data, investment in return migration, skill partnerships, reduced remittance costs and sustained support for host countries.

Shifting gears: how the private sector can be an engine of growth in MENA

Businesses are a key source of productivity growth, innovation and jobs. But in the Middle East and North Africa, the private sector is not dynamic and the region has a long history of low growth. This column summarises a new report explaining how a brighter future for MENA’s private sector is within reach if governments rethink their role and firms harness talent effectively.

Building net-zero futures: Asian lessons for MENA’s construction sector

Three big economies in Asia are achieving carbon neutrality in construction. This column draws lessons from Japan, Taiwan and Thailand – and explains why, given the vast solar potential and growing focus on environmental, social and governance matters in the Middle East and North Africa, governments in the region must adopt similarly ambitious policies and partnerships.

Losing the key to joy: how oil rents undermine patience and economic growth

How does reliance on oil revenues shape economic behaviour worldwide? This column reports new research showing that oil rents weaken governance, eroding patience – a key driver of economic growth and, according to the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, ‘the key to joy’. Policy measures to counter the damage include enhancing transparency in oil revenue management, strengthening independent oversight institutions and ensuring that sovereign wealth funds have robust rules of governance.

The Forum ERF

ERF