Nesma Ali
Economist, Enterprise Analysis Unit, The World Bank Group
Nesma currently works as an Economist at the World Bank Group, Enterprise Analysis Unit (DECEA, Washington, DC). Prior to joining the Bank, she worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE, Heinrich-Heine-Universität). She also worked as a consultant for the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Chief Economist’s Office, where she conducted research on firms’ resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, she led extensive fieldwork in Africa through her work as a consultant for the University of California, Davis. Nesma holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Paris-Est University and a master’s degree in development economics from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University. Her research interests primarily lie in the fields of empirical industrial organization and development economics, focusing on several topics including the incentives of foreign direct investment on market power, the impact of M&A, and the effects of informality and cronyism on firm performance.
- Empirical Industrial Organization
- Development economics
- Applied microeconometrics
- Political economy
- PhD in Economics Paris-Est University, 2017
- Master’s Degree in Development Economics Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and École Normale Supérieur Cachan- Paris, 2012
- Bachelor and Master’s M1 in Economics, Cairo University (Egypt) – joint degree with Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, 2011
- Economist, Enterprise Analysis Unit, The World Bank Group, (DECEA, Washington, DC), Present
- Post-Doctoral Researcher, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 2018 – 2023
- Project Research Assistant, Centre pour la Recherche Economiques et ses Applications (CEPREMAP), Paris, 2014 – 2017
- Internship/Junior Researcher, Occurrence research institute, Paris, 2013 – 2014
- Economic Consultant at Davis University of California, Burkina Faso, 2012 – 2013
- “Informal competition, firms’ productivity and policy reforms in Egypt” (with Boris Najman). In Horodnic, I.A., Rodgers, P., Williams, C. C., & Momtazian, L. (Eds.). The informal economy: exploring drivers and practices. 2016.
- “L'informalité des micro- et petites entreprises en Égypte : une analyse transversale”, Mondes en développement, 2014, 166(2), 87-100.
- “Foreign Direct Investment, Prices and Efficiency: Evidence from India” (with Joel Stiebale), DICE working paper, July 2021. (R&R in Journal of International Economics)
Impact of The Stringency and Volatility of Covid Containmen Measures on Firms’ Performances in The MENA Region?
Areas of Interest: Empirical Industrial Organization Development economics Applied microeconometrics Political economy Education: PhD in Economics Paris-Est University,... Read More
June, 2022
Working PapersWhich Firms Performed Better in Social Distancing Times?
Areas of Interest: Empirical Industrial Organization Development economics Applied microeconometrics Political economy Education: PhD in Economics Paris-Est University,... Read More
June, 2022
Policy BriefsHousehold Enterprises: The Impact of Formality on Productivity and Profits
Areas of Interest: Empirical Industrial Organization Development economics Applied microeconometrics Political economy Education: PhD in Economics Paris-Est University,... Read More
December, 2020
Working PapersHousehold Enterprises: The Impact of Informality on Productivity and Profitability
Areas of Interest: Empirical Industrial Organization Development economics Applied microeconometrics Political economy Education: PhD in Economics Paris-Est University,... Read More
July, 2020
ERF 26th Annual ConferenceCronyism, firms’ Productivity and Informal Competition in Egypt
Areas of Interest: Empirical Industrial Organization Development economics Applied microeconometrics Political economy Education: PhD in Economics Paris-Est University,... Read More
February, 2019
Working PapersMeasuring the Impact of COVID-19 in the MENA Region: Labor Market, Firms and Households
Areas of Interest: Empirical Industrial Organization Development economics Applied microeconometrics Political economy Education: PhD in Economics Paris-Est University,... Read More
Jul 05, 2022
ERF 26th Annual Conference: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a Framework for MENA’s Development Policy
Areas of Interest: Empirical Industrial Organization Development economics Applied microeconometrics Political economy Education: PhD in Economics Paris-Est University,... Read More
Jun 23, 2020