Irène Selwaness
Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University
I am based at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP) as a Research Fellow, working on the Strategic Economic Alliance (SEA) Initiative. I am also an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, and a Visiting Fellow at the LSE Middle East Centre. I am also a member of the Economic Research Forum (ERF) network in Cairo. My research focuses on economic development, with particular interests in social protection, labour markets, and gender. Current projects explore social protection systems in the MENA region, employment regulations, gender dynamics in labour markets, and the future of work, with a regional focus on the Middle East. I hold a Master’s degree in Quantitative Economics and a PhD in Economics from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France.
Areas of Interest:
- Economic development
- Social protection Labour markets
- Gender
Education:
- PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris School of Economics, CNRS, France. 2007–2012
- M.A (DEA), Quantitative Economics : Labor Economics and Demographic Economics, University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. 2006–2007
- Bachelor of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Economics Department, French Section, Cairo University. 2005–2006
Experience:
- Research Fellow, Strategic Economic Alliance, UCL Institute of Innovation and Public Purpose, London, 2025 - Present
- Associate Professor of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, 2022 - Present
- Assistant Professor of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, 2013 - 2022
Latest Publications:
- Caroline Krafft, Irene Selwaness, and Maia Sieverding. 2024. “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women’s Care Work and Employment in the Middle East and North Africa”. Demographic Research, 51(15), 501–552. https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2024.51.15
- Maia Sieverding, Caroline Krafft, Irene Selwaness, and Alexandra Abi Nassif. 2023. “Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on subjective wellbeing in the Middle East and North Africa: A gender analysis.” PLoS ONE, 18(5): e0286405.
- Ghada Barsoum and Irene Selwaness. 2022. “Egypt’s reformed social insurance system: How might design change incentivize enrolment?” International Social Security Review, 75:2, 47-74.
Information and Communication Technology in the Workplace in Egypt: An Opportunity for Strengthening the Labor Market
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
December, 2024
Policy BriefsThe Evolution of Social Protection in Egypt, 2006-2023
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
November, 2024
Working PapersStrengthening Social Protection in Egypt
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
November, 2024
Policy BriefsThe Use of Information and Communication Technology in the Workplace in Egypt
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
November, 2024
Working PapersWhen Formality Is Costly and Informality Is Legal: Social Insurance Design Woes at A Time of Economic Crises
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
November, 2023
Working PapersEgypt Labor Market Panel Survey 2023
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
2023-01-15
Reimagining Social Protection in Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
2020-11-17
Improving Rigorous Evidence for Better Civic Engagement on Social Protection and Supporting the Network’s Institutional Strengthening
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
2020-06-15
How long does it take To Get Social Insurance? Informality Dynamics in the Egyptian Labor Market during the Period of 1998-2012
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
2014-01-01
From Data to Policy: Evidence and Insights from The Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey 2023
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
Nov 24, 2024
Balancing Act: Jobs and Wages in the Middle East and North Africa When Crises Hit – Seminar on the World Bank’s MENA Economic Update
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
Nov 29, 2023
Reimagining Social Protection in MENA
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
Nov 19, 2023
Policy Conference on Social Protection in Jordan
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
Oct 02, 2022
Social Protection in Jordan
Areas of Interest: Economic development Social protection Labour markets Gender Education: PhD, Labor Economics, University of Paris I... Read More
Jan 12, 2022