Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Financing a comprehensive and equitable Covid-19 response

Some say our hopes for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may already be a fading dream, especially for the ...


Covid-19 aggravates Jordan’s acute youth employment challenges

The tough response by Jordan’s government to the global pandemic has protected public health but exacted a sharp economic toll ...


Public sector employment in MENA: a comparison with world indicators

How exceptional are patterns of public sector employment in the Middle East and North Africa? This column reports three observations ...


Fomenting intellectual revolution in the MENA region

The countries of the Middle East and North Africa desperately need a new social contract to meet the demands of ...


Lebanon’s dysfunctional political economy

Using the prospect of a flood of refugees as a bargaining chip in international negotiations, the government is happy to ...


Informality, market fragmentation and low productivity in Egypt

Egyptian firms have operated subject to low and stagnating productivity. This column outlines the recent trends in business conditions and ...


Employment polarisation and deskilling of the educated in Egypt

To what extent is Egypt’s labour market becoming polarised into well paid high-skilled occupations and low-wage manual jobs? This column ...


Lebanon: sectarianism and cronyism stifle economic reform

How did Lebanon’s economy collapse – and what happens now? This column from The Washington Post outlines what you need ...