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ERF 20th Annual Conference: Economic Development and Social Justice
This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Economic Research Forum (ERF) and its 20th Annual Conference will be held in Cairo, Egypt, March, 2014. The organizing committee is pleased to invite submissions of proposals according to the outline given below. Invitees should be engaged in research on the ERF region (the Arab countries, Iran and Turkey), whether they are affiliates of ERF or not. Previously published papers or those accepted for publication may not be submitted. The deadline for submitting proposals is June 25, 2013.
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The Impact of Labor Market Regulations and Institutions on Labor Market Performance and Outcomes
The Economic Research Forum (ERF) is pleased to announce a call for papers under the topic of “the Impact of Labor Market Regulations and Institutions on Labor Market Performance and Outcomes”. This is an important topic as countries of the MENA region have gone through a series of reforms of labor market institutions and regulations in recent years, including changes in labor codes, social insurance regulations, and retirement and pension rules. There are also numerous calls for reforms of the role of trade unions and for minimum and maximum wage legislation. Deadline for submissions: May 20, 2013
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Director of Communications
The Economic Research Forum seeks a dynamic, experienced communications professional to develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy involving traditional and new media, publications, outreach and marketing.
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Open Access Micro Data Initiative (OAMDI)
Good research is impossible without access to reliable micro data. The Economic Research Forum has always known this and consequently, has invested time, effort and money into doing something about it. ERF is now proud to announce what might be one of its most-far-reaching initiatives yet: the Open Access Micro Data Initiative (OAMDI) for the Arab countries, Iran and Turkey.
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MEDJ, Special Issue, April 2013
ERF wishes to announce the publication of a special edition of its Middle East Development Journal, MEDJ. This issue focuses on the political and economic transformation of the Arab World. You can access all the articles for free until 31 October 2013.
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ERF Launches New Video Channel
As part of its ongoing efforts to utilize new media tools, ERF has set up a new video channel to enable visitors to its website to view selected events. The first offerings are presentations by the plenary speakers at the ERF 19th Annual Conference: Economic Development and the Rise of Islamist Parties. To view these videos see here. |
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Coverage of the 19th Annual Conference: Economic Development and the Rise of Islamist Parties, March 3-5,2013, Kuwait
The Annual Conference of the Economic Research Forum (ERF) has evolved over the past 18 years to become one of the most important regional platforms for ERF and non-ERF affiliates to discuss frontier thinking about economic development, learn from one another and interact with international scholars. The conference came at a time when the region is undergoing significant political transformation and focused in its plenary sessions on a pertinent issue: Economic Development and the Rise of Islamist Parties. The plenary sessions featured renowned economists and opinion makers.
To view the presentations see ERF's video channel. For detailed coverage of the conference, please continue reading or see the ERF blog for more coverage, video interviews and twitter posts
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Presentation on Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty, Cairo, Egypt, January 20, 2013
In light of the region's economic and political challenges, ERF invited Harvard professor and ERF senior associate James Robinson to present his book Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty.
Written with Daron Acemoglu, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this groundbreaking book attempts to answer the question that has kept experts guessing for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty?
According to the authors: “while economic institutions are critical for determining whether a country is poor or prosperous, it is politics and political institutions that determine what economic institutions a country has.” Only inclusive political and economic institutions provide incentives for people to acquire (cutting– edge) skills and innovate. On the other hand “extractive” political and economic institutions exist for the benefit of a small elite which exploits the masses who remain poor and disadvantaged. Extractive systems unlike the inclusive ones, fail to sustain growth and development. They are unable to generate technological change.
Robinson feels that the “Arab Spring was a revolt against these extractive institutions. The theory of the book suggests that this will only lead to a more inclusive society and not the iron law of oligarchy, if a broad coalition forms and sustains itself.”
The event attracted a diverse crowd, it was well attended by the media, public figures and civil society representatives.
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Seminar on Egypt’s Economy: Swift Solutions to Counter Pressing Challenges, Cairo, Egypt, January 2, 2013
In light of Egypt’s current pressing economic challenges, ERF hosted this seminar to help air some of those challenges and possible solutions. The seminar is part of the fourth round of the "National Initiative for Economic Development," announced by Hesham Kandil, prime minister of Egypt.
Ashraf El Araby, minister of planning and international cooperation, said that the government seeks to raise foreign currency reserves to $ 19 billion on June 30, 2013 compared to the current $ 15 billion.
"After the revolution the Central Bank's priority was to provide liquidity to local banks, but the increase in the budget deficit led to more pressure on liquidity of both foreign currency and local currency," explained Rania Al Mashat, deputy governor of the Central Bank. She added that security instability played a role in the decline of tourism, which led to a shortage of foreign currency.
The seminar attracted a large and diverse crowd: government officials, economists and experts who were representative of various ideologies and economic sectors, media, public figures and civil society representatives.
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Workshop on The Challenge of Urbanization in the ERF Region, Cairo, Egypt, December 23, 2012
On December 23, 2012 (ERF) held a workshop on The Challenge of Urbanization in the ERF Region. The workshop is part of 12th Round of the Regional Research Competition supported by the Global Development Network (GDN).
Rapid urbanization creates many challenges for developing countries including rising poverty, unemployment and investment needs for expanding infrastructure.
According to UN projections the MENA population will reach 430 million by 2020, of which 280 million are expected to be urban. That is an urban population increase of over 65%, compared to the projected rural population increase of 8.5% (World Bank).
Accordingly, ERF launched a call for proposals under the theme of The Challenge of Urbanization in the ERF Region. In response to the call for papers, ERF received 11 proposals, 6 of which have been peer reviewed and selected.
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Workshop on Capital & Labor Mobility within ERF Region, Cairo, Egypt, October 14, 2012
The Economic Research Forum (ERF) held a workshop on Capital and Labor Mobility within the ERF Region on October 14th, 2012. The workshop was held under the theme of Integration of the Arab Region. Integration is seen as covering any or all types of regional exchange (i.e. goods, services, or factors) and their interactions. Moreover, it covers various dimensions; i.e. intra-Arab, integration in the world economy and/or preferential trading agreements (PTA) with any other non-Arab countries. Eight papers were presented and discussed at the workshop.
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Seminar on Efficiency and Equity of Utilities in the ERF Region, Cairo, Egypt, October 11, 2012
The Economic Research Forum (ERF) held a seminar on Efficiency and Equity of Utilities in the ERF Region under the 10th Round of the Regional Research Competition supported by the Global Development Network (GDN) on October 11th, 2012, in Cairo, Egypt.
In a governmental monopoly of utilities, competition is limited and the government plays the dual role of both operator and regulator of the sector. Due to fiscal pressure and modest outcomes, some countries have begun to rely on the private sector for the management of some of these utilities. Consequently, governmental regulatory bodies were created to protect and regulate the interests of both consumers and the producers. The problem is that these experiences have not been evaluated systematically to explore whether these reforms have been welfare improving and whether the regulatory regimes have been effective.
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ERF Open Access Micro Data Initiative (OAMDI)
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| Relevant Announcements |
| New Master's Degree: Economics of the Middle East (EMEA) |
| EMEA is a unique Master’s programme designed for students who want to acquire a solid foundation in economic analysis in combination with specific knowledge about the economies of the MENA region. For this purpose, EMEA combines an academic focus with hands-on regional experience: lectures are taking place at the Lebanese American University (LAU) in Beirut and the Master’s thesis can be written during a six months stay in the MENA region. |
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| IIEA - Second International Conference on the Iranian Economy |
| The International Iranian Economic Association's second international conference on the Iranian Economy will be held at Bilgi University, Istanbul on 24 and 25 June. The conference will be held at Santral Campus of Bilgi University Santral, Istanbul. |
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| Final Search Academic Conference - Call for papers |
| Search Project is pleased to announce the Final SEARCH Academic Conference: How to strengthen EU – NCs relationships that will be held on February 10th-11th 2014 at the University of Barcelona.The European Union’s relations with its Southern and Eastern neighbours will be the focus of the Final SEARCH Academic Conference. Deadline for abstracts of the papers submission: September 15, 2013. |
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| Call for Papers: Third Annual Conference on Social and Human Sciences (AR) |
| The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies invites researchers to write research papers for the Third Annual Conference on Social and Human Sciences. The Conference will be held in March, 2014 in Doha, Qatar. Deadline for submissions June 30, 2013. For more information click here. |
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| Call for papers on Law and Institutional Economics of Revolutions |
| Faculty of Economics & Political Science, Cairo University and the Institute of Law and Economics, Hamburg University are issuing a call for papers on Law and Institutional Economics of Revolutions.Papers that deal with concrete aspects of revolutions in the Middle East are highly welcomed. Deadline for paper submissions May 15, 2013 |
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| Executive Training Seminar Series, Florence, Italy |
| This Executive Training Seminar provides participants with a synthesis of recent developments in - and research on - the organization of global production and trade, and the design of economic policies to enhance firm competitiveness and the value-added content of production. The rise of global value chains (GVCs) and international production networks has important consequences for the determinants of trade and investment flows and the effectiveness of policies.. The sessions will discuss how and why the rise of GVCs matters for development strategies and design of national policies.The Executive Training Seminar will take place in the Sala Europa of the Villa Schifanoia, which is part of the European University Institute campus in Florence, Italy. Deadline for applications: September 29, 2013 |
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| Conference on MENA Economies |
| Bilgi University in Istanbul, Turkey, will host a conference on MENA Economies in June 2013. The conference will focus on themes including growth prospects and income inequalities, monetary and fiscal policy design and business cycles, and forecasting key economic aggregates. Political Economy of the region will constitute another important focus area of the conference. All contributions are expected to offer an empirical analysis that would provide some recommendations to a specific problem that policy makers may be facing. |
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| See all Relevant Announcements > |
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