Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Women’s work and education in Iran: lessons from time-use data

Women in MENA today spend less time in childbearing and are more qualified for market work – so why are ...


Post-conflict economic reconstruction in the Arab world

What have been the economic costs of conflict in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen? And what are the prospects for ...


Refugees from the Syrian conflict: characteristics and prospects

In the wake of the conflict in Syria, millions of people have fled for their lives, mainly to the neighbouring ...


Highways to hell: road-building in Iraq has increased the violence

Far from promoting peace and economic development, infrastructure investment programmes in conflict zones can have the opposite effect. This column ...


Getting reconstruction right and wrong: lessons from Iraq

Bitter experiences in the last two decades have made the international community hesitant to engage in robust reconstruction activities. This ...


Egypt’s labour market: facts and prospects

An ERF policy conference on the Egyptian labour market in late October 2019 focused on gender and economic vulnerability. This ...


Arab countries are caught in an inequality trap

Conventional wisdom, based mainly on surveyed household income distribution statistics, suggests that inequality is generally low in Arab countries. At ...


How Egyptian households cope with shocks: new evidence

Managing risks and reducing vulnerability to economic, social, environmental and health shocks enhances the wellbeing of households and encourages investment ...