Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Seda Ekmen Özçelik

Author

Seda Ekmen Özçelik
Associate Professor, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University

Seda Ekmen Özçelik completed her undergraduate studies in Economics at Hacettepe University. After that, she was admitted as a research assistant by the Department of Economics at the Middle East Technical University. Between 2001 and 2012, she worked as a research assistant there; and at the same time she completed her Master’s and PhD studies as a graduate student. She obtained her PhD degree in Economics in 2012 after successfully defending her PhD thesis. In her thesis, she basically focused on Turkey’s export competitiveness in the European Union market. Seda Ekmen Özçelik is a faculty member at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Department of International Trade and Business since 2013. Seda Ekmen Özçelik has been working at the Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University as an associate professor doctor since 2021. Her research areas are international trade, and economic development.

Content by this Author

The environmental impact of foreign direct investment in MENA

Are countries in the Middle East and North Africa ‘pollution havens’ when it comes to foreign direct investment (FDI) – or do they merit a ‘pollution halo’? This column reports evidence on how the quality of economies’ institutions and human capital influences the environmental impact of FDI.

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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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