The Think Tank Forum at the 2018 World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies was organized in order to address some of the key economic, political, and social changes that are rapidly transforming the Arab World, and to offer insight as to how challenges and opportunities will impact the Middle East and North Africa for years to come. The forum also highlighted issues such as demographic changes, ethnic and religious tension, and political extremism, and examined the economic insecurity which has befallen the Arab World as a result of the volatility of oil prices.
The Scientific Director of EMNES and Founding President of EMEA, Prof. Rym Ayadi, participated to the Think Tank Forum: The Real Revolutions: Trends and Transitions that Will Transform the Arab World, organised by Elcano Royal Institute, Institute for International Political Studies, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, Lauder Institute and University of Pennsylvania. Specifically, Prof. Ayadi participated to the panel of the Round Table “The Economic, Social and Political Implications of the Youth Bulge” which examined the growing list of complications associated with demographic changes taking place across the Arab region. The session was chaired by Paolo Magri, Institute for International Political Studies.
EMNES Partners Institutions and Researchers also represented the network: Dr. Nooh Alshyab, Yarmook University of Jordan participated to the Round Table “The Mediterranean: from development gap to development laboratory”, organized by the Union for the Mediterranean and the Barcelona Center for International Affairs. The session was chaired by Miguel García-Herraiz. Dr. Chahir Zaki, Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences of Cairo University, participated to the panel “Building prosperity through sound economic policies in MENA.”, chaired by Amirah El-Haddad, German Development Institute where he presented the paper, co-authored with Nora Aboushady, “Do exports and innovation matter for the demand of skilled labor? Evidence from MENA countries”, Dr. Racha Ramadan of the same university participated to the panel “Building prosperity through sound economic policies in MENA. Employment and informality”, chaired by Mona Said, American University in Cairo, where she presented the paper, co-authored with Hanan Nazier and Asmaa Ezzat, “Do institutions matter for informal employment in Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia?”
