2026 IMF MENA Research Conference

IMF Seminars

Source details

Canonical URL

2026 IMF MENA Research Conference

Other formats

• Markdown version
• Structured JSON version
• Bundle manifest

Conference overview

• Title: Rethinking MENA Integration in a Fast-Changing Global Environment
• Host institutions: International Monetary Fund (IMF) in partnership with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University
• Location: Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Rabat, Morocco
• Dates: June 29–30, 2026
• Purpose: Bring together academics and policy makers to explore how the region can respond to external shocks through macroeconomic and financial policies; harness digitalization and AI to boost productivity and regional connectivity; and mobilize energy and infrastructure investment to support growth.
• Focus areas:
  • Implications for the region of evolving global trade patterns, geoeconomic fragmentation, and technological transformation, including artificial intelligence.
  • Role of monetary, fiscal, and labor market policies in maintaining macroeconomic stability and supporting resilient and inclusive growth.
• Series context: Second annual MENA Economic Research Conference; series aims to establish a forum for dialogue and knowledge exchange among academics, researchers, and policymakers and to strengthen economic research capacities in ministries of finance and central banks in the region.

Program committee, organizers, and coordinators

• Program Committee:
  • Giovanni Melina, IMF
  • Antonio Spilimbergo, IMF
  • Touhami Abdelkhalek, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University
  • Francesco Grigoli, Georgetown University in Qatar
  • Kamiar Mohaddes, University of Cambridge
  • Nisreen Salti, American University of Beirut
• Organizing Committee:
  • Roberto Cardarelli, IMF
  • Asmaa El-Ganainy, IMF
  • Sascha Buetzer, IMF
  • Zeina Hasna, IMF
  • Angham Al Shami, IMF
• Conference Coordinators:
  • Joanna Zaffaroni, IMF
  • Sofia Cerna Rubinstein, IMF
  • Hana Benslimane, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University
  • Zineb Idrissi, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University

Day 1: June 29, 2026 — Sessions and schedule (local time: Rabat, Morocco)

• 9:00–9:30 AM — Welcome and Opening Remarks
  • Karim El Aynaoui, Executive Vice-President and Dean (Mohammed VI Polytechnic University)
  • Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department (IMF)
• 9:30–11:00 AM — Session 1 – Geoeconomic Fragmentation and Economic Integration
  • Chair: Karim El Aynaoui (Mohammed VI Polytechnic University)
  • Papers and authors:
  • The Remains of the Trade: The U.S.–China Trade War and its Aftermath; Pol Antràs (Harvard University) and Andrea Presbitero (IMF)
  • Connector economies in a fragmenting world; Chuan-Han Cheng (University of Cambridge), Oleg Konovalov (EBRD), and Alexander Plekhanov (EBRD)
  • Connectedness Without Complexity? Geoeconomic Fragmentation and Structural Transformation in the MENA Region; Zein Alamah (Concordia University) and Ali Fakih (Lebanese American University)
  • Discussant: Francesco Grigoli (Georgetown University in Qatar)
• 11:30 AM–1:00 PM — Session 2 – Artificial Intelligence
  • Chair: Ferid Belhaj (Policy Center for the New South and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University)
  • Papers and authors:
  • Technological Change, Occupations, and Labor Markets in MENA; Gustavo Leyva (Center for Latin American Monetary Studies) and Carlos Urrutia (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, ITAM, Mexico City)
  • AI in a Fragmenting World; Barry Eichengreen (University of California, Berkeley), George Cui (IMF), Asmaa ElGanainy (IMF), Yevgeniya Korniyenko (IMF), Elyad Shojaei (IMF), Li Zeng (IMF), and Frank Zhang (IMF)
  • AI and Productivity in the MENA Region and Beyond: Opportunities and Challenges; Filiz Unsal (OECD), Francesco Filippucci (OECD), Peter Gal (OECD), and Matthias Schief (OECD)
  • Discussant: Antonio Spilimbergo (Deputy Director, Research Department, IMF)
• 2:30–4:00 PM — Session 3 – Trade Policies
  • Chair: Dorothée Boccanfuso (Mohammed VI Polytechnic University)
  • Papers and authors:
  • What Do Market-Access Subsidies Do? Experimental Evidence from Tunisia; Nadia Ali (Columbia University), Giacomo De Giorgi (University of Geneva), Aminur Rahman (Asian Development Bank), and Eric Verhoogen (Columbia University)
  • Conditional Trade Policy: Economic Effects of Qualifying Industrial Zones in the Middle East; Ayman Tibi (University of Mannheim)
  • The Impact of Global Trade Policies on MCD Countries and Regional Integration Prospects; Koralai Kirabeva (IMF), Lorenzo Rotunno (IMF), and Michele Ruta (IMF)
  • Discussant: Mehdi Bartal (Mohammed VI Polytechnic University)
• 4:30–5:30 PM — Session 4 – Labor Market Policies
  • Chair: Taline Koranchelian (Deputy Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF)
  • Papers and authors:
  • Job Amenities, Adverse Selection, and Women's Labor Supply in Jordan; Bailey Palmer (University of California, Berkeley)
  • Do Employment Subsidies Affect Skill Intensity and Capital Formation? Evidence from Turkish Manufacturing Firms; Güneş Aşık (Middle East Technical University, Ankara) and Çağlar Yüncüler (TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara)
  • Discussant: Nisreen Salti (American University of Beirut)
• 5:30–6:30 PM — Keynote Lecture
  • Title: "Economic Principles for the 21st Century"
  • Keynote Speaker: Andrés Velasco (Dean of the School of Public Policy, London School of Economics)

Day 2: June 30, 2026 — Sessions and schedule (local time: Rabat, Morocco)

• 9:00–9:15 AM — Best Graduate Student Paper Award and Acknowledgment of Graduate Students
  • Laudatio: Jihad Azour (Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF)
  • Winner: Bailey Palmer (University of California, Berkeley)
  • Special Mentions: Nadia Ali (Columbia University) and Ayman Tibi (University of Mannheim)
• 9:15–10:15 AM — Policy Panel
  • Moderator: Jihad Azour (Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF)
  • Panelists:
  • Nadia Fettah Alaoui (Minister of Finance, Morocco)
  • Rania Al-Mashat (Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNESCWA)
  • Hasan Alhasan (Senior Fellow for Middle East Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies)
  • Andrés Velasco (Dean of the School of Public Policy, London School of Economics)
• 10:45 AM–12:15 PM — Session 5 – Monetary and Fiscal Policies
  • Chair: Mohamed Taamouti (Bank Al-Maghrib)
  • Papers and authors:
  • Transmission of Global Monetary Shocks in MENA and CCA Economies; Giancarlo Corsetti (European University Institute, Florence), Michele Castegini (European University Institute, Florence), Zeina Hasna (IMF), Simon Lloyd (Bank of England), and Nadine Yamout (American University of Beirut)
  • Does Inflation Targeting Matter in Achieving Long-term Price Stability? Evidence from Egypt and Georgia; Nasser Badra (American University of Beirut), Salim Chahine (Central Bank of Lebanon), and Ugo Panizza (Geneva Graduate Institute)
  • Fiscal Rules at Risk: Debt Structure and Fiscal Adjustment in Times of Geopolitical and Economic Uncertainty; Sami Ben Naceur (IMF), Abdelhamid Moustabchir (Hasan II University, Casablanca), and Sara Loukili (Bank Al-Maghrib)
  • Discussant: Roberta Gatti (Chief Economist for the MENAP region, World Bank)
• 12:15–12:45 PM — Closing Remarks
  • Nadia Fettah Alaoui (Minister of Finance, Morocco)
  • Jihad Azour (Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF)

Outputs and materials

• Papers and slides approved for distribution from the conference are available for download.
• Conference recordings: Watch Day 1 and Watch Day 2 available for replay.

References

• first annual economic research conference