Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Pension reform that avoids harming MENA labour markets

To tackle the deficits in their pension systems, should governments in Arab countries raise social security contributions, reduce pension levels ...


Anti-corruption strategies: successes and failures

Countries in the Middle East and North Africa don’t typically score well in term of corruption. This column looks at ...


How to reform: lessons for MENA from post-communist transition

What can reformers in the MENA region learn from the transition experiences of the formerly communist countries of Central and ...


Climate change policy in MENA after Paris

The Paris Agreement on climate change has set ambitious targets for reducing the carbon footprints of the signatory countries. This ...


Arab oil exporters: coping with a new global oil order

What are the implications of recent developments in global oil markets for the oil-exporting countries of the Arab region? This ...


Vocational training fails the cost-benefit test: evidence from Turkey

Rising unemployment in Turkey during the global financial crisis prompted the government to expand its provision of free vocational training. ...


Harnessing technology for export growth by small businesses

What policy actions can help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their integration into the global market for goods, ...


Did the Egyptian protests lead to change?

Egypt’s period of euphoria following the toppling of Mubarak in 2011 was followed by the sobering realities of the political ...