Jordan had one of the most stringent lockdowns in response to Covid-19, with schools closed for long periods. As this column explains, the variation in children’s access to online learning has led to greater inequality in educational outcomes.

The crisis posed by employment informality in the Middle East and North Africa must be tackled head on in the region’s pursuit of sustainable and inclusive development. As this column explains, in the drive to formalise occupations and create an adequate number of decent jobs, there is a need for vocational upskilling and life-long learning, support for formal enterprises and promotion of a ‘social and solidarity economy’.

Policy-makers increasingly tout multilateral development banks as being uniquely positioned to address today’s pressing global challenges, particularly debt crises in the developing world. But as this Project Syndicate column explains, their lending mostly benefits middle-income countries rather than the lower-income countries that need it most.

What explains the intransigence of Lebanon’s political elites to resolve the country’s long-running financial and economic crisis? This column argues that the determinants for reaching political settlements – a succession of deals among powerful political elites on how to distribute political power and economic resources – have changed over time, making a grand waiting game the best strategy for each party.

In 2023, what lies ahead for Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa, and the wider world? This column, first published by The NileView, suggests that this year is likely to be a blend of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.