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on MENA - Middle East and North Africa |
| By: | Abay, Kibrom A.; Abdelradi, Fadi; Kassim, Yumna; Guo, Zhe |
| Abstract: | This policy note showcases two examples on how remote sensing data can be used for monitoring agricultural production and economic activities. The first case aims to generate granular data on agricultural production, which remain scarce in Egypt and the MENA region. The second case demonstrates the potential of remote sensing data to monitor economic activities during the COVID19 pandemic. Based on these data and together with other recent findings, we provide the following recommendations to facilitate post-COVID-19 recovery in Egypt: - Targeting of stimulus and recovery packages based on the economic repercussions experienced across geographies and sectors - Identifying and supporting promising value chains which experienced a significant slowdown in economic activities - Diversifying economic activities and markets to improve the resilience of agri-food systems. - Investment in data infrastructure to monitor and respond to future shocks. This may be supported by scale up of digital solutions, which proved to be effective in sustaining business activities even during the pandemic. |
| Keywords: | EGYPT, ARAB COUNTRIES, MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA, AFRICA, agricultural production, remote sensing, monitoring, economic activities, Coronavirus, coronavirus disease, Coronavirinae, COVID-19, investment, spatial distribution |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:menapn:135067&r=ara |
| By: | Gilligan, Daniel O.; Kurdi, Sikandra; Tabe-Ojong, Martin Paul Jr.; Yassa, Basma |
| Abstract: | The Forsa program, launched in 2021 by the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity has been designed as a graduation program targeted to current beneficiaries of the Takaful cash transfer program. To understand how well Forsa supports household income generation and to better understand the beneficiary household characteristics which may relate to program success, the International Food Policy Research Institute in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity is running a randomized control trial of the pilot Forsa program (see IFPRI MENA Regional Program Policy Note 21 for more details on the program and evaluation design). A baseline household survey collected in January-February 2022 provides a detailed picture of the eligible households in the targeted communities, including the employment situation and work-related skills of the household members intending to participate in Forsa. The household survey data was collected in the eight governorates of the pilot: Beni-Suef, Sharqia, Qalyoubia, Luxor, Fayoum, Menia, Souhag, and Assuit. 24 households Forsa-eligible households were surveyed in each of 323 communities: 16 households from the pool of current Takaful beneficiaries and 8 from the pool of Takaful rejected applicants. The final sample size was 7, 752 households. Each household was asked whether they were willing to enroll in Forsa and, if so, which household member would participate in the trainings. 83% of sampled eligible households indicated willingness to enroll in Forsa. The large majority of these (77%) indicated a preference for the self-employment track. |
| Keywords: | EGYPT, ARAB COUNTRIES, MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA, AFRICA, agricultural economics, cash transfers, data analysis, data collection, households, income, poverty, poverty alleviation, surveys, surveying, economic inclusion program |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:menapn:136467&r=ara |
| By: | HICHAM CHAOUI (FSJES-Fès - Faculté des Sciences Juridiques, Economiques et Sociales de Fès) |
| Abstract: | Déclaration de divulgation : L'auteur n'a pas connaissance de quelconque financement qui pourrait affecter l'objectivité de cette étude. Conflit d'intérêts : L'auteur ne signale aucun conflit d'intérêts. Pour citer cet article : CHAOUI .H (2023) «Les principes de l'organisation financière des régions au Maroc à la lumière des nouveautés de la régionalisation avancée. |
| Keywords: | CHAOUI Hicham Principes budgétaires-gouvernance financière régionale-libre administration |
| Date: | 2023–04–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04140272&r=ara |
| By: | Gilligan, Daniel O.; Kurdi, Sikandra; Tabe-Ojong, Martin Paul Jr.; Yassa, Basma |
| Abstract: | Forsa, which means “Opportunity†in Arabic, is a new economic inclusion program of the government of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Implemented by the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the program aims to graduate beneficiaries of the national cash transfer program, the Takaful & Karama Program (TKP), to economic self-reliance by enabling them to engage in wage employment or sustainable economic enterprises. The 2021 World Bank Economic Inclusion report (Andrews et al. 2021) highlights a recent increase globally in such graduation or economic inclusion programs, which now reaches around 92 million beneficiaries from 20 million households across more than 75 countries. This rapid growth has necessitated an increasing demand for evidence on best practices in graduation program implementation. The newly designed Forsa program is based on the graduation approach, but with innovations drawing from theories of behavioral economics as well as creating a network of active youth volunteers for economic empowerment to reduce costs compared to the standard BRAC-inspired model. Forsa also expands the graduation model to include the option of wage-employment, rather than only focusing on self-employment. Evidence on the impact of job training programs linked to wage employment on both job retention and future earnings is mixed (McKenzie 2017), although most such programs do not include cash assistance. This impact evaluation of the Forsa program in Egypt is intended to contribute to the global evidence on effective graduation program design as well as provide immediate policy-relevant guidance for the Ministry of Social Solidarity. The impact evaluation will measure the degree to which Forsa is successful at increasing household consumption and will investigate which participant groups and program features demonstrate the greatest improvements in household welfare and economic activity. |
| Keywords: | EGYPT, ARAB COUNTRIES, MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA, agricultural economics, cash transfers, data analysis, data collection, households, income, poverty, poverty alleviation, surveys, surveying, economic inclusion program |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:menawp:41&r=ara |
| By: | Imène Berguiga; Philippe Adair |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eru:erudwp:wp22-08&r=ara |
| By: | El-Kersh, Mohamed; Atef, Mohamed; Ali, Alaa; Farghaly, Lobna; Abderabuh, Zainab; Abdelradi, Fadi; Abdou, Khaled; Abdelaziz, Ehab; Faris, Victor; Nasr, Saleh; Nassar, Yasmin; Nassar, Zaki; Raouf, Mariam; Wiebelt, Manfred |
| Abstract: | This policy note summarizes an evaluation of public investment options for Egypt’s agri-food system conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of the Government of Egypt and Cairo University. We quantitatively assess the expected economy-wide impacts of investing in four promising agricultural value-chains: dates, poultry, olives, and medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP). As part of the analysis, a range of agriculture-related public investments along the value-chains are considered, including spending to expand farm production and promotion of downstream agri-processing and marketing. We use two IFPRI structural models. The Rural Investment and Policy Analysis (RIAPA) economywide model is used to capture linkages between economic sectors, households, and rural-urban economies and to measure changes in economic growth, household welfare, and employment within and beyond the agri-food system. RIAPA is linked to the Agricultural Investment and Data Analysis (AIDA), the second model, which tracks investment impacts and costs over time. Inter alia, we find that: Investments into each of the four agricultural value chains enhance growth, create additional employment opportunities, improve household welfare, and reduce poverty. The MAP and poultry value chains are the most promising value chains with regard to all four evaluation criteria. However growth generation is largest if investment is concentrated in the MAP value chain, while investment into the poultry value chain has the strongest impacts on job creation and poverty reduction. Investments into primary production and processing, besides having a strong direct impact on the value chain growth, generate significant indirect effects inside and outside the agrifood system. These indirect effects are largest for the MAP value chain. |
| Keywords: | EGYPT, ARAB COUNTRIES, MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA, AFRICA, dates, poultry, olives, medicinal plants, essential oil crops, value chains, public investment, economic impact, models, agrifood systems, poverty reduction, households |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:menapn:134986&r=ara |
| By: | Philippe Adair; Vladimir Hlasny |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eru:erudwp:wp22-07&r=ara |
| By: | Deniz Karaoglan (Department of Economics, Gebze Technical University); Serap Sagir (Department of Economics, Middle East Technical University); Meltem Dayioglu (Department of Economics, Middle East Technical University); Durdane Sirin Saracoglu (Department of Economics, Middle East Technical University) |
| Abstract: | In this paper we investigate the relationship between mother’s education level and the development of young children in Turkey using representative microdata from the 2018 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS). The data include detailed information about the developmental status of young children of 36-to-59 months old. We find that only when the mother has at least a high school level education, there is a positive impact on the child’s developmental status as summarized the Early Childhood Development (ECD) index, which is an index constructed based on the child’s four developmental domains. We also show that the household’s wealth is also positively associated with the child’s developmental status, particularly in the socio-emotional and the learning readiness domains. |
| Keywords: | Early Childhood Development, Mother’s Education, Socioeconomic Status, Turkey |
| JEL: | C5 I00 O15 |
| Date: | 2023–07–27 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:geb:wpaper:2023-02&r=ara |
| By: | Imène Berguiga; Philippe Adair |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eru:erudwp:wp23-03&r=ara |
| By: | Philippe Adair; Vladimir Hlasny |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eru:erudwp:wp23-02&r=ara |
| By: | Philippe Adair; Imène Berguiga |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eru:erudwp:wp23-01&r=ara |
| By: | BENALI MIMOUN (ENCG, SIDI MOHAMED BEN ABDELLAH UNIVERSITY); LAHBOUB KARIMA (ENCG, SIDI MOHAMED BEN ABDELLAH); MOUFDI GHADA (FSJES, SIDI MOHAMED BEN ABDELLAH) |
| Abstract: | The major goal of this paper is to find out if there is a momentum impact at the company level in Morocco. In our study, we used stock prices from 59 Moroccan companies traded on the Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) from 2008 to 2017. Moreover, Jegadeesh and Timan's (1993) Methodology was utilized to create momentum portfolios. In reality, this research provides solid evidence of the momentum impact in Moroccan firm portfolios, proving that a six-momentum approach with a twelve-month holding duration generated a high return of 7, 3412 percent per month on average. likewise, our study shows that the momentum method is still profitable and statistically significant when applied to a sub-period sample. Meanwhile, we showed that the CAPM model and the Fama French three-factor model may accurately describe momentum earnings in the Moroccan market. |
| Keywords: | Casablanca Stock Exchange, Momentum Effect, CAPM, Fama?French Three-Factor Model. |
| JEL: | G02 G10 G11 |
| Date: | 2022–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iefpro:13215690&r=ara |
| By: | Philippe Adair (ERUDITE, University Paris-Est Créteil); Vladimir Hlasny (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) |
| Abstract: | We tackle the problems of labour market segmentation and low occupational mobility in MENA countries in relation to prospective formalisation policies. First, we provide an overview of the informal economy in its taxonomy, coverage and stylised facts, and drivers, across six MENA countries. Second, using longitudinal microdata from Labor Market Panel Surveys and COVID-19 MENA Monitors, we apply transition matrices and multinomial logistic regressions to analyse workers? occupational mobility according to their pre-existing status, age cohort, gender and other demographics. We find persistent segmentation and weak occupational mobility in all countries, suggesting that informal employment is not driven by choice on the labour supply side but by structural constraints on the demand side. Third, assessing the existing formalisation policies encapsulating distinct stick and carrot strategies, and business versus worker targeting, we find rather modest impacts. We submit that promoting social and solidarity enterprises, and extending microfinance to informal enterprises holds a promise for the creation of formal, decent jobs. |
| Keywords: | Formalisation policies; Informal employment; Segmentation; Transition matrices; Youth unemployment; Female labour force participation |
| JEL: | E26 J46 O17 |
| Date: | 2022–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iefpro:13215719&r=ara |
| By: | Gilligan, Daniel O.; Kurdi, Sikandra; Tabe-Ojong, Martin Paul Jr.; Yassa, Basma |
| Abstract: | The Forsa program, launched in 2021 by the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity has been designed as a graduation program targeted to current beneficiaries of the Takaful cash transfer program. To understand how well Forsa supports household income generation and to better understand the beneficiary household characteristics which may relate to program success, the International Food Policy Research Institute in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity is running a randomized control trial of the pilot Forsa program (see IFPRI MENA Regional Program Policy Note 21 for more details on the program and evaluation design). A baseline household survey collected in January-February 2022 provides a detailed picture of the eligible households in the targeted communities, including the employment situation and workrelated skills of the household members intending to participate in Forsa. The household survey data was collected in the eight governorates of the pilot: Beni-Suef, Sharqia, Qalyoubia, Luxor, Fayoum, Menia, Souhag, and Assuit. 24 households Forsa-eligible households were surveyed in each of 323 communities: 16 households from the pool of current Takaful beneficiaries and 8 from the pool of Takaful rejected applicants. The final sample size was 7, 752 households. Each household was asked whether they were willing to enroll in Forsa and, if so, which household member would participate in the trainings. 83% of sampled eligible households indicated willingness to enroll in Forsa. The large majority of these (77%) indicated a preference for the self-employment track. |
| Keywords: | EGYPT, ARAB COUNTRIES, MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA, AFRICA, agricultural economics, cash transfers, data analysis, data collection, households, income, poverty, poverty alleviation, surveys, surveying, economic inclusion program |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:menapn:136470&r=ara |