## 2026 IMF MENA Research Conference _IMF Seminars_ ## Source details **Canonical URL:** [2026 IMF MENA Research Conference](https://www.imf.org/en/news/seminars/conferences/2026/06/29/2026-imf-mena-research-conference) ## Other formats - [Markdown version](/en/news/seminars/conferences/2026/06/29/2026-imf-mena-research-conference/index.md) - [Structured JSON version](/en/news/seminars/conferences/2026/06/29/2026-imf-mena-research-conference/index.json) - [Bundle manifest](/en/news/seminars/conferences/2026/06/29/2026-imf-mena-research-conference/bundle-manifest.json) --- ### 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](https://www.imf.org/en/news/seminars/conferences/2025/05/18/imf-middle-east-north-africa-inaugural-research-conference) _Source: https://www.imf.org/en/news/seminars/conferences/2026/06/29/2026-imf-mena-research-conference_