Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Patrick Plane

Author

Patrick Plane
Director of Research, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Patrck Plane is Director of Research at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) affiliated with CERDI, a joint research unit of the CNRS and the University of Clermont Auvergne of which he was director between 2001 and 2013. Patrick Plane is a regular collaborator of the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development (FERDI) and was for 6 years, between 2010 and 2016, a member of the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (CDP). His research interests are diverse, relating to micro and macroeconomic development issues, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Patrick Plane is the author of several books and around fifty articles in academic journals. Until now, his research has mainly been devoted to industrial economics, the analysis of public-private partnerships and the diagnosis of competitiveness at the level of companies and nations.

Content by this Author

Exchange rate undervaluation: the impact on participation in world trade

Can currency undervaluation influence participation in world trade through global value chains (GVC)? This column reports new evidence on the positive impact of an undervalued real exchange rate on the involvement of a country’s firms in GVCs. Undervaluation acts as an economy-wide industrial policy, supporting the competitiveness of national exports in foreign markets vis-à-vis those of other countries.

Most read

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.

Untapped talent, unrealised growth: jobs and women in the MENAAP region

Only around one in five women of working age participate in the labour markets of the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan. As this column explains, the region can no longer afford to leave half its human capital underused. Expanding women’s labour force participation is central to growth and resilience in the face of looming demographic change.

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.

Labour demand and informal employment in Egypt’s manufacturing sector

Egypt’s manufacturing sector faces a dual challenge of weak job creation and persistent informality. Drawing on survey evidence on business behaviour and labour market dynamics, this column explains why job creation is limited and informal work remains such an integral part of how firms organise production. The generation of more formal jobs requires a comprehensive policy approach, one that goes beyond enforcement of labour regulations to reshape the economic environment in which firms and workers make decisions.




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