The worldwide move toward renewable energy indicates a fundamental change that is particularly important in the MENA region, which has abundant renewable resources and has depended on hydrocarbon economies. This study presents an empirical examination of key macroeconomic determinants-inflation,...

Background: This study revisits whether oil revenue windfalls translate into higher socio-economic welfare in oil-exporting economies and explains why oil price booms often fail to generate sustained gains in real GDP per capita. Methods: Using annual data for ten oil-exporting countries over...

This study examines the heterogeneous effects of key macroeconomic determinants on economic growth in selected MENA economies using a pooled quantile regression framework. Unlike conventional mean-based approaches, this method captures variation across different segments of the conditional...

This paper provides a historical perspective on comparatively low levels of trade in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, focusing on studies addressing the impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Our literature review identifies best practices and reviews trade potential...

What are the key determinants of firm growth in developing countries? Using firm-level data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) spanning 2010-2024, we examine the impact of three distinct categories of factors on firm growth dynamics: (1) firm-level characteristics, (2) contextual...

Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are varied in their political systems and geography—factors that have shaped their economic development and tax policy choices. This diversity means that taxation must be tailored to local factors and constraints. This book surveys...

This study empirically investigates the determinants of financial success for startups engaged in impact versus conventional investment, performing a landscape analysis of the MENA region's financial ecosystem. Using the total equity funding amount (TEFA) as a performance proxy, we analyzed data...

This study examined how ESG has influenced credit growth across MENA countries/regions and investigated the extent to which bank size and Islamic banking influence this relationship. Using panel data from 42 listed banks across 10 MENA countries (367 bank-year observations from 2010-2023), the...

This report provides a high-level overview of the key findings and insights contained in the report, “Waste Management in the Middle East and North Africa”. The report draws on new data from the 19 MENA countries and 26 cities, and analyzes the performance of, and challenges in, solid waste...

This paper examines the asymmetric effects of oil price variations on MENA inflation from 1990 to 2021. Short- and long-term impacts were estimated by using Panel-NARDL models. To account for asymmetric effects, the price of oil was separated into positive and negative changes (oil+ and oil-),...

The European Union (EU) and southern Mediterranean partners launched the Pact for the Mediterranean in November 2025 to reset relations with the EU's "Southern Neighbourhood" in an increasingly challenging regional context. The Pact comes 30 years after the 1995 Barcelona Process promised to...

This article investigates the dynamic interrelationships between the shadow economy, inflation, and economic growth in 15 countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region over the period 1991-2017. The study employs a simultaneous equations framework estimated through the Three-Stage...

Female labor force participation (FLFP) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) remains the lowest globally, averaging just 19% in 2023 compared to a global average of 48%. Social norms, care responsibilities, restrictive legal frameworks, skills mismatches, and limited access to supportive...

This paper empirically examines the multiple impacts of alternative, major fiscal instruments on decarbonization in countries in the Middle East and North Africa. It also examines the effects of decarbonization pathways on decarbonization, using a database covering 41 countries, including...

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...

This study investigates the influences of financial performance and economic determinants (inflation rate and economic growth) on financial distress (FD) in the MENA region in the context of the contagion effect theory and Minsky's financial instability theory. This paper examines the...

This study investigates factors shaping FDI inflows in the MENA region from 1996 to 2021, employing static and dynamic panel data models. A composite institutional quality index, created via Principal Component Analysis, reveals a positive long-term effect on FDI. However, voice and...

Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources, including wind and solar power, is a validated approach for mitigating carbon emissions. To maximize renewable energy potential and account for costs and impacts of low carbon energy transitions, research models or modelling tools must...

This study takes a critical look at Franco-German relations in the field of international cooperation along the entire humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) spectrum to better gauge the usefulness of bilateral collaborative action in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Both the corresponding...

This research explores the impact of ownership structure on the financial performance of Leveraged Buyout (LBO) transactions in the MENA region, a key emerging market region. Drawing on agency theory by Jensen & Meckling and the capital structure theory of Modigliani and Miller, the study...

Achieving a more inclusive financial system is crucial to unlocking economic opportunities, reducing inequality, and ensuring that no person will be excluded from access and usage of financial and banking services. Even if financial services are widely available in some areas, others, especially...

The outbreak of COVID-19 not only had serious negative impacts on the world economy but also on the global mental health because of the psychological disorders associated with the spread of the pandemic, the increased degree of uncertainty and the unprecedented measures taken by different...

This report's focus on fiscal matters complements ongoing work on megatrends involving labor markets, skills, demographics and climate (KP-1) and institutional matters (KP-2). The present KP-3 is not meant to be exhaustive in discussing the full range of financing and spending details in the...

Low investments in human development (HD) are both a cause and a consequence of economic performance and income growth. Thriving populations in knowledge societies are skilled, mobile, healthy, and connected. However, in most countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, human...

This paper explores how the three megatrends will affect the people of MENA and how, through emerging Human Development (HD) policies, the region can shape these trends and harness new opportunities while managing the risks. It first delves into the impacts of aging, climate change, and...

Growing geopolitical risks (GPR) and tensions affecting economic performance can significantly influence sustainable development outcomes. However, previous studies do not address whether GPR hinders sustainable development, assessed through a unique sustainable development metric, the load...

In response to the scarce evidence regarding herd behaviour in emerging and frontier debt markets, this paper investigates the potential mispricing of MENA sovereign risk. We explore whether this mispricing results from international investor herding, where MENA debt assets are collectively...

This paper examines the spillover effects of policy uncertainty in Lebanon on stock market volatility in seven MENA countries using a network connectedness approach. For this purpose, it constructs an economic policy uncertainty index for Lebanon using data extracted from Twitter (now X) for the...