This paper examines the current dependencies and exposures of the euro area's financial sector in a context of rising geopolitical tensions. Focusing on Russia, China, and the Middle East, we analyze direct exposures through lending and securities holdings of banks and large investors. Our...

The Gulf of Guinea (GoG) spans over 6 000 km of coastline and 19 states. The region is rich in natural resources: it holds significant reserves of gas (2.7% of total world reserves) and oil (4.5%), as well as other valuable minerals including diamonds, tin, bauxite, manganese and cobalt. While...

The Gulf of Guinea (GoG) spans over 6 000 km of coastline and 19 states. The region is rich in natural resources: it holds significant reserves of gas (2.7% of total world reserves) and oil (4.5%), as well as other valuable minerals including diamonds, tin, bauxite, manganese and cobalt. While...

The Middle East (ME) is often perceived as region with rentier economies and uncompetitive markets. Evidence of market power in the region however is scant. In this paper, we ask the following three questions: Is the ME uniquely uncompetitive? Has the evolution of market power in the region...

The Middle East and North Africa faces significant climate challenges, such as increasing temperatures, heightened flood risks, frequent droughts, and growing air pollution issues. These challenges are compounded by the large proportion of the population living below the poverty line in some...

Saudi Arabia has mixed expectations ahead of Donald Trump’s imminent second presidency. On the one hand, the royal family maintains close business relations with the president-elect and his entourage, which could lead to privileged access to the White House. On the other hand, Trump’s Middle...

Migration is deeply ingrained in the lives and livelihoods of people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The region witnesses three key migration patterns: labour migration, mixed migration, and displacement. Migration in the region in 2021-2022 was influenced by the pull of...

The Middle East, with its diverse cultures and adherence to social norms, offers a relevant case study for exploring the current research question, Using established theories of social interaction and technology acceptance, this research examines how cultural background shapes student...

The Middle East and North Africa is the most water scarce region in the world. Although studies have explored the effect of extreme weather events on agriculture, much less is known about the effect on businesses. Using geocoded firm-level data from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys across the...

This publication provides you with a range of inspiring examples of how educational institutions are using Erasmus+ in Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East to prepare for the digital transition, and to harness the full potential of digital technology and techniques to boost education, what it...

This publication provides you with a range of inspiring examples of how educational institutions are using Erasmus+ in Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East to prepare for the digital transition, and to harness the full potential of digital technology and techniques to boost education, what it...

This report contains the annual summary of the fire season of 2023 with official figures provided by 34 contributing countries for the number of fires, burnt areas and fire prevention efforts, and the analysis of fire danger and areas mapped in the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

This report contains the annual summary of the fire season of 2023 with official figures provided by 34 contributing countries for the number of fires, burnt areas and fire prevention efforts, and the analysis of fire danger and areas mapped in the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

This report contains the annual summary of the wildfire season of 2023 on the basis of data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). It is published early in 2024 to provide an advance comprehensive analysis of the wildfire season 2023. The analysis and data in the report...

The Middle East has experienced significant and wide-ranging consequences due to terrorism and the resulting War on Terror. The region saw substantial impacts as a result of the War on Terror. This study briefly overviews the security, economic and political repercussions of the prolonged...

Limited data on micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) make it difficult for governments to design appropriate MSME policies in Asia and the Pacific. To identify factors affecting MSME development and promote evidence-based policymaking, we propose a probabilistic principal component...

Considering the pressures of fluctuating external environments, organizations are constantly seeking ways to be responsive and able to improve their performance with lower costs. Employer-employee relationships have changed rapidly in recent years, and there is growing interest in considering...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a new multidimensional financial inclusion index to measure the financial inclusion level for each of the 13 selected countries of the Middle East and North Africa region for the period 2004-2020. In addition, the comparative analysis approach...

This paper investigates the effects of climate shocks on inflation and monetary policy in the Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA) region. We first introduce a theoretical model to understand the impact of climate risks on headline and food inflation. In particular, the model shows how climate...

This paper assesses the state and resilience of corporate and banking sectors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in a "higher-for-longer" interest rate environment using granular micro data to conduct the first cross-country corporate and banking sector stress tests for the MENA region....

The present study aims to explore the factors influencing the utilization of Information audit in the context of Egypt and Jordan, with specific attention given to the role of artificial intelligence (AI). A sample of 443 respondents participated in the study, and data collection was carried out...

The paper aims to empirically assess the threshold effect in the large shareholders (LS) and bank performance relationship. We used a sample of MENA banks during the period 2004-2017. To get benefit from a comparative regional analysis, the whole sample was divided into two sub-samples, banks in...

Internationalization is a crucial process for companies seeking growth and expansion in foreign markets, especially in the Middle East, where economies have been developing and diversifying business opportunities, seeing it as an attractive destination to expand their operations. This study...

Purpose: The relationship between financial inclusion and economic growth is an intriguing topic that is generating extensive attention among researchers and merits comprehensive investigation. This paper aims to empirically explore this relationship using panel data for 13 Middle Eastern and...

This study uses transaction cost economics theory to explain the interplay of artificial intelligence readiness, frugal innovation, and business model innovation to achieve SMEs' internationalization objectives. A survey is conducted among SMEs using cluster sampling to determine their readiness...

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) gas exporters are facing long-term market and regulatory challenges in Europe. The near three-year continuous decline in Europe’s gas demand since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis is a key challenge for these exporters who are concerned about whether this...

Since 2021, Turkey embarked on a Middle East reconciliation initiative involving Syria, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This initiative responds partly to evolving regional dynamics and Turkey’s specific challenges, such as its protracted economic crisis and...

NATO’s 2023 summit in Vilnius was dominated by Russia’s war against Ukraine. The summit in Washington, D.C., in July 2024 will be influenced by an additional major conflict in NATO’s neighbourhood: the war in Gaza and the related heightened tensions in the Middle East. These have also...

The energy market integration in the Middle East is assessed by comparing the acting institutions in the Levant and Persian Gulf sub-regions. Pami Aalto's regional institution's theoretical framework and the case-oriented comparative research method are adopted for this purpose. Changes in the...