Research Initiative on the Economics of the Middle East

Fourth workshop, Panmure House, Edinburgh

14-15 November 2019

 

Thursday 14 November

0845-0915 Registration, coffee/tea

0930 Welcome: Professor Gillian Hogg, Heriot Watt University Deputy Principal, and organisers

0945 Keynote lecture: Maya Shatzmiller, University of Western Ontario, ‘Structural change and economic development in the Islamic Middle East, 700-1500’  (pdf)                          Chair: Abdallah Zouache, Sciences-Po, Lille

1100 Coffee/tea

1130-1300 Macroeconomics 1:

Hany Abdel-Latif, Swansea University, and Mahmoud El-Gamal, Rice University, ‘Financial liquidity, geopolitics and oil prices’                                                                       Discussant: Erkal Ersoy, Heriot-Watt University

Mohamed Benbouziane, University of Tlemcen, F.E. ElHannani, Mila University, Sidi Mohamed Chekouri, Maghnia University, and Abderrahim Chibi, Maghnia University, ‘The political economy of fiscal policy: the case of Algeria’   (pdf)                                                 Discussant: Gulcin Ozkan, King’s College London

Joseph Bitar, University of Lille, ‘The unique dollarization case of Lebanon’  (pdf)          Discussant: David Cobham, Heriot-Watt Universitby

 

1445 Islamic development and finance:

Fatiha Talahite, Cresppa-GTM Paris, ‘Islam and property rights, a decolonial approach: the Algerian case’  (pdf )                                                                                                                                           Discussant: Prabir Bhattacharya, Heriot-Watt University

Sara AlBalooshi, University of St Andrews, ‘Profit loss sharing and debt-like financing in Islamic banks’                                                                                                                                                Discussant: Mohamed Sherif, Heriot-Watt University

1545 Coffee/tea

1615 Migration and agriculture:

Jeff Nugent, University of Southern California, and Mehmet Balcilar, Eastern Mediterranean University, ‘Casualties in Syria and the physical and mental health of Syrian refugees in Turkey’   (pdf)                                                                                                                      Discussant: Cristina Tealdi, Heriot-Watt University

Onur Altindag, Bentley University, Stephen D. O’Connell, Emory University, Aytug Sasmaz, Harvard University, Zeynep Balcioglu, Northeastern University, Matilda Jerneck, UNHCR, Aimee Kunze Foong, UNHCR, and Paola Cadoni, UNHCR, ‘Improving scalable poverty targeting: design and validation of an econometric targeting model for basic needs cash assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon’   (pdf)                                          Discussant: Arnab Bhattacharjee, Heriot-Watt University

Raffaele Bertini, FAO and University of Florence, ‘Ownership and distribution of agricultural land in Arab countries: historical trends and new challenges’  (pdf)          Discussant: Claudia Aravena, Heriot-Watt University

1800 close

 

Friday 15 November

0930 Trade and productivity:

Christian Ruckteschler, University of Oxford, Adeel Malik, , University of Oxford and Ferdinand Eibl, King’s College London, ‘The politics of trade protection: evidence from an EU-mandated tariff liberalisation in Morocco’                                                                       Discussant: Mark Schaffer, Heriot-Watt University

Nesma Ali, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, and Mohamed-Ali Marouani, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, ‘Household enterprises: the impact of informality on productivity and profitability’  (pdf)                                                                                                                                    Discussant: Mustafa Caglayan, Heriot-Watt University

1030 coffee/tea

1100-1215 policy session on Algeria:

Frédéric Volpi, University of Edinburgh; Adeel Malik, University of Oxford; Yacine Belarbi, CREAD, Algiers; chair: Abdallah Zouache, Sciences-Po, Lille

 

1400 Education and conflict:

Laura Duthilleul and Maqsood Aslam, University of Lille, ‘Education: a shield to dictatorship? Evidence from Pakistan’                                                                                      Discussant: Adeel Malik, University of Oxford

Olivier Parent, University of Cincinnati, and Abdallah Zouache, Sciences-Po Lille, ‘On the political economy of conflicts in the Middle East and Africa’                                       Discussant: Gonzalo Forgues-Puccio, Abertay University

1500 Macroeconomics 2:

David Cobham, Heriot-Watt University, ‘Monetary policy frameworks in the Middle East and North Africa: how do they compare with other groupings?’  (pdf)                             Discussant: Christopher Adam, University of Oxford

Nadine Abdelraouf, Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, and Diaa Noureldin, American University of Cairo, ‘Excessive relative price variability: does the exchange rate regime matter?’                                                                                                                                        Discussant: Joseph Byrne, Heriot-Watt University

1600 coffee/tea

1630-1745 Keynote lecture: Samir Makdisi, American University of Beirut, ‘The Arab Uprisings, Autocracy, Democracy and Sustainable Development’                                       Chair: Adeel Malik, University of Oxford

1800 close