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.

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Day 1
Day 2

Agenda

Nov. 19

Date

19/11/2023

Location

Hybrid event

Time

From 10:30 am To 5:30 pm

Download full agenda

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 of Planning and Public Affairs, University...

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

Associate Professor, Universities of Canada (UCE), Egypt

Research Fellows

Rania Roushdy

Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Economics,...

Authors

Caroline Krafft

Associate Professor of Economics, St. Catherine University

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

Working 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

Working Papers

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

Working Papers

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 Papers

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

Policy Briefs

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

Policy Briefs

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

Policy Briefs

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

Policy Briefs

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

Policy Briefs

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