Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Phoebe W. Ishak

Author

Phoebe W. Ishak
Postdoctoral Researcher at Aix-Marseille School of Economics

Phoebe Ishak is a postdoctoral researcher at Aix-Marseille School of Economics (AMSE). Prior to joining AMSE, She was a postdoc at Freie Universität Berlin and the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies (JFKI). She holds a PhD in Economics from Universität Hamburg. Her primary research interests are Development Economics, Labor Economics, Gender and Political Economy. Her work is focused on the economies of developing countries especially in Africa, Latin America, and the MENA region. She has worked as a consultant for the United Nations ESCWA and IMF.

Content by this Author

Oil price shocks, protest and the shadow economy

Can negative oil price shocks raise the risk of internal conflict in oil-dependent economies? Not really: as this column reports, evidence from 144 countries over the period 1991-2015 indicates that the destructive effects are mitigated when informal activities are a bigger part of the whole economy. The results imply the helpful role of the shadow economy in keeping political systems stable under rising economic pressures.

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.




Linkedin