Reimagining Social Protection in MENA
FromNov 19, 2023 To Nov 20, 2023
Hybrid Event
Social protection can be broadly defined as the policies and programs concerned with “preventing, managing, and overcoming situations which adversely affect people’s wellbeing” (UN Research Institute for Social Development). It includes policies such as social assistance and social insurance, health care access, and labor market interventions, among others. These policies and programs are essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goal #1: “No Poverty”, and as such have become a central point of focus in both international and national policy agendas. In light of this and building on the previous ERF project on Social Protection in Jordan and Tunisia, and also with the generous funding provided by the Ford Foundation, this conference seeks to disseminate the findings of research on social insurance coverage in Egypt while reflecting on the previous findings from Jordan and Tunisia.
Through contributory social insurance and non-contributory social assistance schemes, and other policy instruments like health insurance and free public health care, social protection has been a long-standing key component of the social contract in Egypt. However, with the press of economic and structural reforms in the 1980s and 1990s, this social contract began to fray, with sectoral shifts in growth patterns and profound transformations in the Egyptian labor market that led to worsening inequalities for the middle class and the poor. In Jordan, there has been an increased focus on establishing a social protection floor through the expansion and improvement of social protection programs, as outlined within the National Social Protection Strategy of 2019. However, in order to achieve the goal of breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty as outlined within the strategy, considerable challenges must be addressed, and adjustments must be made to existing systems.
Tunisia is considered among the countries with the most comprehensive social protection system in the MENA region, with its large contributory and non-contributory schemes. However more than 44% of the working population were still outside the social protection systems in 2019 and there remain entrenched geographic inequalities between the coast and the interior, as well as ill-targeted social spending.
OBJECTIVES
In light of the above, this conference will take place over the course of 2 days to disseminate the findings of several research papers produced in the context of the Economic Research Forum’s project on “Reimagining Social Protection in MENA”. This regional learning event focused on social insurance/social insurance reforms will be structured as follows: The first day will be showcasing the component on social insurance in Egypt and the second will feature work on Jordan and Tunisia. The conference seeks to encourage discussion of the current state of social insurance in Egypt, while reflecting on and comparing it to the regional perspectives and findings obtained from Jordan and Tunisia. Most notably, the conference will provide space for multiple stakeholders to promote civic engagement, and discuss policy solutions and disseminate and compare and contrast the different research findings across all three countries.
Agenda
Nov. 19
Date
19/11/2023
Location
Hybrid event
Time
From 10:30 am To 5:30 pm
Speakers
Research Fellows
Ibrahim Elbadawi
Managing Director, Economic Research Forum
Speakers
Saba Al Mubaslat
Regional Director, Ford Foundation, Middle East and...
Research Fellows
Ragui Assaad
Professor and Freeman Chair for International Economic...
Speakers
H.E. Nivine El Kabbag
Minister of Social Solidarity, Egypt
Speakers
Sherine Ghoneim
Director of Communications and Policy Outreach, ERF
Research Fellows
Hassan Aly
Dean, Business School, Nile University
Research Fellows
Ghada Barsoum
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department...
Research Fellows
Irène Selwaness
Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics and Political...
Speakers
Aya Gabr
National Coordinator for Social Protection, ILO Cairo...
Authors
Abdelrahman Nagy
Director of Learning and Strategy, Sawiris Foundation...
Speakers
Magued Osman
CEO and Director of the Egyptian Center...
Speakers
Mervat Sabreen
Assistant Minister for Protection and Social Safety...
Research Associates
Reham Rizk
Director of the Egypt Impact Lab, J-PAL...
Research Fellows
Rania Roushdy
Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Economics,...
Authors
Caroline Krafft
Associate Professor, Humphrey School of Public Affairs,...
Speakers
Hania Sholkamy
Associate Research Professor, Social Research Centre, The...
Research Associates
Amira El-Shal
Acting Associate Director of Research, J-PAL MENA
Research Fellows
Heba Handoussa
Managing Director, Egypt Network for Integrated Development
Policy Affiliates
Heba Nassar
Vice President, Cairo University
Speakers
Yasmine Fahim
Director of Research and Programs, Economic Research...
Papers
When Formality Is Costly and Informality Is Legal: Social Insurance Design Woes at A Time of Economic Crises
This paper examines the extent to which the institutional framework for social insurance (SI) might... Read More
Why Is Social Insurance Coverage Declining in Egypt? A Decomposition Analysis
We analyze in this paper the decline in social insurance coverage in Egypt from 2007... Read More
The Dynamics of Protest Movements in Iraq: An Institutional Approach
In this paper, we apply institutional approaches to understand the economic and social contexts of... Read More
Working Conditions in the Paid Care Economy in Egypt: Improvement or Deterioration?
The paid care economy plays a crucial role in employing women. This sector also acts... Read More
The Dynamics behind the Decline of Social Insurance in Egypt and Directions for Reform
In a nutshell Workers in Egypt have experienced declines in contributory social insurance coverage (and... Read More
Deteriorating Working Conditions in the Care Economy in Egypt: Directions for Reform
In a nutshell A robust care economy is critical to supporting women’s employment, both as... Read More
What Is Driving the Decline in Social Insurance Coverage in Egypt? Understanding The Relative Role of Structural Change
In a nutshell There has been a secular decline in social insurance coverage rates for... Read More
Regional Insights into Social Insurance: Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia
In a nutshell: The social contracts in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia have evolved over time,... Read More
Between Costly Formality and Legal Informality: Egypt’s Social Insurance Design Woes
In a nutshell Social insurance (SI) coverage rates have plummeted across the board in Egypt.... Read More
Videos
Agenda
Nov. 20
Date
20/11/2023
Location
Hybrid event
Time
From 9:30 am To 5:30 pm
Speakers
Research Fellows
Ibrahim Elbadawi
Managing Director, Economic Research Forum
Speakers
Ahmad Awad
General Director, Phenix Center for Economic and...
Policy Affiliates
Mary Kawar
Former Minister for Planning, Jordan
Speakers
Nesreen Barakat
CEO, Jordan Strategy Forum
Speakers
Haneen Sayed
Non-resident Senior Fellow, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie...
Research Fellows
Heba El-Laithy
Professor of Statistics at Cairo University’s Faculty...
Research Associates
Khaled Nasri
Researcher, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management...
Research Fellows
Najat El Mekkaoui
Professor of Economics, University Paris-Dauphine
Research Fellows
Mohamed Ali Marouani
Associate Professor of Economics, Sorbonne University
Speakers
Pascal Annycke
Social Protection Specialist, ILO
Speakers
Asma Ben Hassen
Founder and President, Tunisia Inclusive Labor Institute...
Speakers
Arbia Saleh
Head, Research Department, Tunisia Inclusive Labor Institute
Speakers
Farah Al Shami
Senior Fellow, Beirut Arab Reform Initiative Team
Research Fellows
Mongi Boughzala
Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Tunis...
Speakers
Tamara A. Kool
Researcher, Verwey-Jonker Instituut
Authors
Vladimir Hlasny
Economic Affairs Officer, UN Economic and Social...
Speakers
Oleksiy Sluchynsky
Senior Social Protection Specialist, World Bank
Speakers
Luca Pellerano
Senior Social Protection Specialist, International Labour Organization,...
Research Fellows
Ragui Assaad
Professor and Freeman Chair for International Economic...
Speakers
Hania Sholkamy
Associate Research Professor, Social Research Centre, The...
Research Fellows
Ghada Barsoum
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department...
Speakers
Yasmine Fahim
Director of Research and Programs, Economic Research...
Papers
From Protection to Transformation: Understanding the Landscape of Formal Social Protection in Jordan
This paper provides a broad overview of the formal contributory and non-contributory programs provided formally... Read More
The Landscape of Social Protection in Tunisia
This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the social protection system in Tunisia... Read More
The Role of Civil Society in Promoting Social Protection Reforms: A Comparative Study of Jordan and Tunisia
In the Arab region, social protection systems have historically suffered from several shortcomings, including high... Read More
Social Insurance from A Regional Perspective: Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia
This paper presents a comparative analysis of social insurance systems in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia.... Read More