The dilemma of public debt in Lebanon
Lebanon’s strategy of pursuing long-term fiscal sustainability at the cost of short-term macroeconomic stability, which has dominated for over two decades, has been devastating in terms of economic growth and deteriorating infrastructure. This column explains the background to the current economic and financial crisis.
Who can work from home in MENA?
Which jobs can be done from home, who does them and how prevalent are they in different countries? This column reports evidence on working from home in over 50 countries, including Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia.
Sudan and the pandemic: reforms for a vulnerable economy
Sudan’s economy was in a fragile state even before Covid-19 and the lockdown measures implemented to control the virus. This column outlines the bold yet practical reforms that are needed to help the country move to a virtuous cycle of rising productivity and incomes – and hence sustained reduction in poverty.
Measuring monetary poverty in MENA: data gaps and how to address them
As key statistical sources for measuring monetary poverty, household budget surveys are crucial for designing public policies and tracking development progress. But measuring poverty in the MENA region remains a challenge. This column identifies challenges of availability, access and quality of household budget surveys in the region and evaluates ways to fill these information gaps.
Oil prices: challenges and a way forward for the United Arab Emirates
How should the United Arab Emirates chart a way forward from today’s world of very low oil prices and a deteriorating world economic outlook? This column explores the impact on of current circumstances on UAE economic activity, government spending and the budget deficit. The ultimate goal, the authors conclude, should be to sustain the momentum of further diversification of the economy to reduce oil dependency and hedge against continued fluctuations in oil prices and spillovers from the global economy.