Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Sarah El-Khishin

Author

Sarah El-Khishin
Associate Professor of Economics, British University in Egypt

Sarah El-Khishin is an Associate Professor of Economics at the British University in Egypt. Her experience is diversified in the fields of academic and policy research. Dr. El-Khishin worked as an Adviser and Expert in the Egyptian Government as well as non-governmental research and policy advocacy institutions. She completed her Ph.D, Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees at Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University. Her published academic works, policy and technical expertise are in Public Finance, Fiscal Policy and Public Financial Management, Monetary Policy, Economic Development, and International political economy. Dr. El-Khishin is a Research Associate at Economic Research Forum (ERF), member in the American Economic Association (AEA) and Middle East Economic Association (MEEA).

Content by this Author

Wrong finance in a broken multilateral system: red flags from COP30-Belém

With the latest global summit on climate action recently wrapped up, ambitious COP pledges and initiatives continue to miss delivery due to inadequate commitments, weak operationalisation and unclear reporting systems. As this column reports, flows of climate finance remain skewed: loans over grants; climate mitigation more than climate adaptation; and weak accountability across mechanisms. Without grant-based finance, debt relief, climate-adjusted lending and predictable multilateral flows, implementation of promises will fail.

External debt vulnerability in the time of Covid-19

Covid-19 is threatening emerging markets and developing economies in multiple ways. As this column explains, these countries are even more vulnerable now than they were at the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008, raising fears that the impact of the current crisis might be more devastating and economic recovery more distant.

Countermeasures for the COVID-19 outbreak in Egypt

The COVID-19 outbreak interrupts a remarkable but short-lived improvement in Egypt’s economic performance following the implementation of recent reforms supported by the International Monetary Fund. This column outlines essential countercyclical measures to accommodate the likely economic damage from the pandemic, and emphasises the importance of sound institutions as a safeguard against potential misuse of the measures after the crisis and to ensure the sustainability of the reform outcomes.

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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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