Economic Research Forum

Economic Research Forum
Name	Economic Research Forum
Formation	1993
Type	Non-profit research network
Headquarters	Cairo, Egypt
Region served	Middle East and North Africa
Languages	Arabic, English
Leader title	Executive Director

Economic Research Forum

The Economic Research Forum is a non-profit research network established to advance empirical studies on development issues in the Middle East and North Africa. It brings together researchers, policy makers, and institutions from across the region and beyond to produce evidence-based analysis on labor markets, agriculture, trade, migration, demography, and public policy. The Forum publishes working papers, policy briefs, and books, and organizes conferences and training to foster collaboration among scholars from universities, central banks, and international organizations.

History

The organization was founded in 1993 amid post-Cold War shifts that affected regional trade and investment patterns, drawing on comparative models such as Centre for Economic Policy Research, Brookings Institution, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Early convenings included scholars linked to Cairo University, American University in Cairo, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, and University of Chicago, and featured exchanges with researchers from United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and United Nations Development Programme. Over the decades the Forum responded to shocks including the 1997 Asian financial crisis, 2008 global financial crisis, and the Arab Spring, adapting research priorities to migration flows associated with conflicts in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Notable contributors have included academics affiliated with Princeton University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University, and regional institutions such as King Saud University and University of Tehran.

Organization and Governance

Governance structures mirror networks like Association for Comparative Economic Studies and boards typical of Rockefeller Foundation-supported initiatives, with a Board of Trustees composed of academics, central bank governors, and policy experts from institutions such as Central Bank of Egypt, Central Bank of Jordan, and Central Bank of Tunisia. Operational management collaborates with research centers including Economic Research Service (USDA), Institute of Development Studies, and national statistical agencies like CAPMAS and Turkish Statistical Institute. Advisory committees feature members from Cairo Financial Institutions, European Commission directorates, and think tanks such as Chatham House and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Staffing includes program directors, research fellows, and visiting scholars who maintain affiliations with universities such as Ain Shams University, University of Alexandria, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México through exchange schemes.

Research Programs and Publications

The Forum runs thematic programs paralleling agendas found at International Labor Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization, covering labor market analyses, agricultural productivity studies, trade policy assessments, and migration research with outputs aimed at central banks, ministries of finance, and donor agencies. Publications include working paper series, policy notes, and edited volumes similar to output from National Bureau of Economic Research and IZA Institute of Labor Economics. Collaborations have produced comparative studies with research groups at United Nations University, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and university presses like Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. The Forum’s bibliometric presence appears in databases used by Scopus, Web of Science, and citation indices employed by research councils in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Morocco.

Conferences and Events

Annual and regional conferences assemble scholars and practitioners from institutions such as European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, and ministries across the MENA region. The program often features plenaries with speakers from International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, and leading universities including Yale University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Workshops provide methodological training drawing on curricula from Stanford University’s Center for International Development and software sessions referencing tools endorsed by United Nations Statistics Division and Eurostat. Special sessions have addressed crises involving Lebanon, Egypt, and Tunisia, with panels including representatives from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and International Organization for Migration.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources include bilateral donors, multilateral agencies, and philanthropic foundations comparable to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Open Society Foundations, along with project grants from European Commission instruments and technical partnerships with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and Japan International Cooperation Agency. Institutional partnerships extend to academic networks such as Middle East Studies Association and policy centers like Atlantic Council and Bruegel. Contract research has been commissioned by national ministries, regional development banks, and UN agencies including UNICEF and United Nations Development Programme.

Impact and Influence

The Forum’s research has informed policy debates at finance ministries, central banks, and international organizations including International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and has been cited in reports by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Alumni and affiliated scholars hold positions at universities such as King's College London and University of Toronto, and at institutions like United Nations Relief and Works Agency and European Investment Bank, amplifying the network’s reach. Its evidence-based contributions have shaped discussions on subsidy reform in Egypt, labor reforms in Jordan, and agricultural policy in Morocco, and continue to influence regional research capacity building through training linked to Carnegie Mellon University and regional scholarship programs.

Category:Research institutes