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Call for Policy Briefs “COVID-19 MED BRIEFS” (27 Juin 2020)

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The Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) and FEMISE announce the launch of the Call for a new joint Policy Brief series, to address the urgent issue of the COVID-19 socio-economic effects and impact on the EU-Mediterranean region

Marseille, 29th of May 2020 – The recent coronavirus crisis threatens the health, economies and societies of all countries. In Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries, the fight against the pandemic is even more complicated due to pre-existing structural rigidities. Cooperation and EU-Med strategies in key sectors are needed. Therefore, the Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) and FEMISE join forces and launch their joint series of Policy Briefs called “COVID-19 MED BRIEFS”. A Call for Policy Briefs is open for all researchers with interest and knowledge on the subject. The first issue of this series is available today, launching the joint initiative.

This series of Policy Briefs will be produced to make a contribution towards the policymaking process by addressing the economic, social and welfare effects of COVID-19 on the EU-Med and how Mediterranean integration can be reinforced in order to overcome the crisis and trigger further transformation in the region.

The Call for the COVID-19 MED BRIEFS will include several rounds. The first round is now open and researchers have until June 26th to submit a Policy Brief for evaluation and potential selection.

The topic should be addressing the issue of the COVID-19 socio-economic crisis and its implication on the EU-Med (short and medium run), and identifying concrete policy actions pointing to solutions and ways forward.

Information on how to submit and the General Guidelines for the “COVID-19 MED BRIEFS” can be found here.

The first COVID-19 MED BRIEF, entitled “Implications of the coronavirus crisis in the Mediterranean and in the Middle East”, by Constantin Tsakas (FEMISE, IM), can be found here.

 

 

The Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) is a multi-partner platform where development agencies, Governments, local authorities and civil society from around the Mediterranean convene in order to exchange knowledge, discuss public policies, and identify the solutions needed to address key challenges facing the Mediterranean region. Members of the CMI include Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Spain, Tunisia, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, City of Marseille, the European Investment Bank and the World Bank Group, and the European External Action Service (EEAS) as an observer. Web: www.cmimarseille.org; Facebook: CMI Marseille; Twitter: @cmimarseille

Media contact : (Ms) Zein Nahas, Senior Communications Officer at the Center for Mediterranean Integration, 00 33 6 04677242, znahas@worldbank.org

 

FEMISE, Forum Euroméditerranéen des Instituts de Sciences Économiques (the Euro- Mediterranean Forum of Institutes of Economic Sciences), is a Euromed network that gathers more than 100 members of economic research institutes, representing the 37 partners of the Barcelona Process and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). FEMISE is coordinated by the Economic Research Forum (ERF), Egypt and Institut de la Méditerranée (IM), France. Its General Objective is to reinforce dialogue between stakeholders and conduct research on priority EuroMed issues. Web: www.femise.org Facebook: @FEMISEnetwork Twitter: @femisenetwork

Media contact : Dr Constantin Tsakas, General Secretary of FEMISE, 0033 4 91 31 51 95, c.tsakas@femise.org

THE NEXT SOCIETY launches the first Mediterranean Innovation Scoreboard, created by FEMISE

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THE NEXT SOCIETY launches the first Innovation Scoreboard suitable for Southern Mediterranean countries: 78 indicators that measure the innovation status in the region

Marseille, 7 May 2020 – While taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of the existing innovation indicators, FEMISE has created for THE NEXT SOCIETY, a Scoreboard of innovation that takes into account some of the particularities of the region while shedding light on the progress (or lack) achieved so far. 

The 78 selected indicators provide therefore accurate information on the level of performance of the Mediterranean countries regarding the regional context. Built on this scoreboard’s basis, a digital and interactive tool has been developed by ANIMA to make the data simpler to read, THE NEXT SOCIETY i-data. 

Innovation plays a crucial role in economic and social development. It is an important driver of growth, productivity, competitiveness, and job creation. It can also help to address some of the socio-economic challenges like health and poverty. As innovation is a collective performance in a large number of aspects and variables, measuring it cannot be done with one variable or indicator, but a collection of indicators, which are called a Scoreboard. THE NEXT SOCIETY, in its ambition to mobilise, promote and reinforce innovation ecosystems and economic development in the MENA countries has developed the first Innovation Scoreboard adapted to the region’s specificities thanks to the work of FEMISE, the leading partner in economic research.

Why a MED innovation scoreboard?

Due to the lack and difficulty of obtaining data, particularly in developing countries, only a few of existent scoreboards and innovation indicators include worldwide coverage. For the South Mediterranean Region, only selected countries are covered in some of the International Innovation Scoreboards, such as the Global Innovation Index (GII) and innovation indicators of the World Competitiveness Report (WCR). Only recently Egypt and Israel have been included in the OECD published Science, Technology and Innovation outlook. Moreover, existent scoreboards have not been adapted to reflect the progress (or lack) of the innovation in the South Med countries. In fact, it is argued that the indicators included to measure innovation were mainly designed for the developed and emerging markets’ economies and hence are not able to give a real picture of the progress and the challenges for the developing countries.

Given these concerns, THE NEXT SOCIETY decided to develop a MED-suited Innovation Scoreboard able to index and compare the innovation performance among the countries of the region. THE NEXT SOCIETY Innovation Scoreboard led by FEMISE is the first of its kind covering the MENA region and having been created by Mediterranean researchers.

THE NEXT SOCIETY MED Innovation Scoreboard

For this MED-specific scoreboard of innovation, FEMISE has selected some of the indicators that are the most relevant for the region. The 78 selected indicators provide therefore accurate information on the level of performance of the Mediterranean countries with regard to the regional context and include: (i) published data (secondary data) by international organisations, (ii) survey data (primary data) that was conducted by different organisations; (iii) and calculated data from raw databases. All data included have been referred with their source and the latest available year (an update is already ongoing with additional indicators).

The 78 indicators are classified according to the 3 main phases of the innovation measuring process:

– The Input stage: this is where the basic ‘ingredients’ of reaching an innovation system are put in place. This stage includes indicators related to the enabling environment, human capital investment and Research and Development.

– The Process stage: this is where all those ingredients work together in a defined environment: benefiting from opportunities and facing challenges. This stage includes indicators related to the use of advanced technology and awareness of the importance of training and R&D at the firms’ level, the level of high tech in the industry and the structural transformation at the national level, in addition to the adoption of business reforms.

– The Output stage: this represents the outcome of the innovation process and the different channels through which the innovative product or idea are diffused. This stage includes indicators related to the Innovative firms and their outputs, the performance of innovative products in the international markets and the degree of diffusion of knowledge and innovation.

For each of these stages, the list of indicators provides a collective way to measure the stage. They are grouped by category (Political and Institutional Environment, Infrastructures, Education, R&D, innovative firms and outputs, knowledge diffusion, …). It is important to know that among the 78 indicators in the scoreboard, some have not been used in any other scoreboards and have been specifically created and followed by FEMISE to develop THE NEXT SOCIETY MED Innovation Scoreboard. To consult the full list of indicators gathered on the MED Innovation Scoreboard, please click here.

THE NEXT SOCIETY i-data 

By making this scoreboard digital and interactive, THE NEXT SOCIETY aims at making this unique data accessible and comprehensive to the entire population of the MED countries, so that the user does not have to be an expert in the field to understand the issues exposed and to access research-issued information. i-data enables all users to seize the results of economic research and makes the experience of consulting economic data entertaining! Users will be able to:

  1. select the stage of innovation they are interested in and visualise for each category a chart bringing together the different indicators associated. 
  2. select the country (out of the 7 countries covered) they are interested in- by ticking or unticking them – to view their performance and display the regional average at the same time.

Check i-data, the scoreboard digital and interactive tool by THE NEXT SOCIETY!

For any question related to the methodology used, a particular indicator, a source or anything else, please contact us at welcome@thenextsociety.co.

To download the press release, click here

 

About THE NEXT SOCIETY

THE NEXT SOCIETY is an open community of changemakers, entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, NGOs, public and private innovation, research and economic development hubs from Europe and 7 Mediterranean countries: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia.

Led by ANIMA Investment Network, it aims at mobilising, promoting and reinforcing innovation ecosystems and economic development in the MENA region. To reach these goals, THE NEXT SOCIETY launched a four-year action plan (2017-2020), co-funded by the EU up to 90% for a global amount of EUR 7.8 million budget. It supports the emergence of talents and innovative leaders who will drive the next trends and usages by targeting startups, clusters and technology transfer offices to accompany their development. www.thenextsociety.co

About FEMISE

FEMISE, Forum Euroméditerranéen des Instituts de Sciences Économiques (the Euro-Mediterranean Forum of Institutes of Economic Sciences), is a Euromed network established in June 2005 as an NGO (under the French Law of 1901), following 8 years of activities. The network gathers more than 100 members of economic research institutes, representing the 37 partners of the Barcelona Process and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). FEMISE is coordinated by the Economic Research Forum (ERF), Egypt and Institut de la Méditerranée (IM), France. The Network aims to provide policy relevant research on issues of importance to the EU-Med region, establish dialogues between the different stakeholders and disseminate the outputs to the wider communities and Policy makers. www.femise.org

About ANIMA Investment Network

ANIMA Investment Network is an international economic development network that aims to work to the promotion and development of the Mediterranean. The ANIMA network brings together 80 members from 18 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area, including national and regional investment promotion and economic development agencies, business federations, innovation centres, international investors and research institutes. ANIMA’s objective is to contribute to the continued improvement of the business and investment climate, as well as encourage shared and sustainable economic development in the Mediterranean. www.anima.coop

welcome@thenextsociety.co

www.thenextsociety.co

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World Health Day: FEMISE initiative to face COVID-19 in the Mediterranean

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The coronavirus crisis threatens our health and, as a result, it also hurts our societies and our economies. But it offers us an opportunity to rethink our priorities and systems, to make them sustainable, inclusive, in line with the SDGs.

FEMISE contacted its researchers and partners but also young people from the Mediterranean, to remind everyone why investing in Health should be a priority. Protecting vulnerable populations who do not have access to medical care, ensuring better access to health information in countries where internet access remains limited, supporting the work done by women in the health sector, betting on education and human capital…

The Mediterraneans mobilized by FEMISE share their views in the above video.

with : Constantin Tsakas, Mohammad Abu-Zaineh, Leila Berrada Mnimene, Mariam Fadel, Raphaël Colombier, Karine Moukaddem, Myriam Ben Saad, Jamal Bouoiyour

FEMISE Call for Policy Briefs – DL April 30th 2020

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FEMISE is inviting all researchers and experts to submit original Policy Briefs based on recent research conducted on policy, economic and security issues relevant to the EU-Med region and Africa.

Deadline for Submission is :

April 30th 2020

I. Introduction

Policy Briefs are essential communication tools that translate the findings and the recommendations of an academic research work into a simple and concise policy note that could be accessible by, not only the policy makers, but also the business community and the general public.

The choice of the topic is left open to researchers.

II. Eligibility 

  • The Call is open to both members and non-members of FEMISE.
  • The Brief could be a submitted by one or more authors.
  • Authors must be residents in a country of the EU-Med region

III. Theme and template of the Brief

  • The Brief should conform to the “FEMISE General Guidelines for Policy Briefs”
  • The Brief should be about 4 pages maximum (around 2000 words)
  • It should be done in simple and non-technical language and should include operational policy recommendations that are based on a solid research.
  • The topic should be related to the EU-Med region
  • It could include one or two figures/tables for illustration and a short selection of a maximum of 5 references.
  • It could refer to the research papers from which it may be issued.

IV. Submission and Evaluation process

Please submit your Policy Brief to contact@femise.org and in CC c.tsakas@femise.org with the subject: “Submission of a Policy Brief”

  • CV(s) of the author(s) should be submitted with the Brief as well as a short bio (that will appear on the brief if selected) of no more than 250 words
  • The evaluation will be based on the following criteria:

– the choice of the topic and how relevant it is the region

– the contribution to the existing knowledge

– the recommendation and policy relevance and their feasibility

– the style of writing

The selected Policy Briefs will be published under the FEMISE Policy Briefs Series “MedBrief” and in order of priority of the relevance of the topic.

Gender Equality: FEMISE signs Altafemina’s Charter of Performing Diversity

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FEMISE was invited to the Altafemina Festival (November 26th, EuropaCorp Cinema, La Joliette, Marseille, France) and was honored to sign the Altafemina Charter of Performing Diversity. This charter values organizations (companies, associations, institutions) that engage and act concretely for diversity both during their events and in their governing bodies.

Constantin Tsakas (FEMISE, IM) & Samah Ben Dhia (Altafemina)

After a brief presentation of the activities of FEMISE, Dr. Constantin Tsakas (Secretary General of FEMISE, General Manager of Institut de la Méditerranée) emphasized that the signing of this charter is a first step to raise more awareness in the South of the Mediterranean on the question of gender diversity. FEMISE research has shown that women-owned businesses can even illustrate higher labor productivity. Nevertheless, Southern Mediterranean countries* are characterized by extremely low female participation rates. This rate is 29% on average and the gap with other regions in the world is considerable.

Thanking Altafemina for this honor, Dr Tsakas added that gender diversity is a strength for FEMISE, the administrative team is made up of both men and women, and more than 70% of the young “ChangeMakers” of FEMISE researchers are women. Above all, they are competent and dynamic people, regardless of their gender.

Dr. Tsakas also presented the activities of FEMISE that contribute to a culture of diversity and gender equality in the Mediterranean. Among them, he highlighted the recent partnership with Emerging Valley, in which FEMISE will mobilize young Mediterranean women who lead, support and / or finance projects with significant economic and social impact in their communities, societies and industries. More activities, including awareness-raising videos as part of a partnership with Altafemina, are expected in the following months.

 

FEMISE is a Think-Tank, a network of research institutes in economics, which produces research reports for policymakers on both sides of the Mediterranean. The network mobilizes more than 100 university centers from all over the Mediterranean on 4 thematic axes: Trade Integration, Private Sector Development and Innovation, Environmental Awareness and Development of new inclusive and sustainable growth models. The results of this research are disseminated through platforms that foster dialogue and policy debate among stakeholders, which include researchers, the international community and policy makers.

* Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Palestinian Territories

EV2019 workshop: Empowering Women and Youth Leaders in the Mediterranean and Africa (Dec 4th, TheCamp, Aix-en-Pce)

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Mediterranean social and economic development can only be achieved through a partnership that ensures full participation of #women and youth.

FEMISE and Institut de la Méditerranée (IM) participate at the latest edition of Emerging Valley, the Emerging Innovations Hub between Europe and Africa, a unique occasion to explore emerging ecosystems and connect with African tech leaders !

Want to learn more about Social and Economic Innovations in the Mediterranean ? Join our #EV2019 workshop “Social Change Makers, Act 2 : Empowering Women and Youth Leaders in the Mediterranean and Africa” (December 4th, 14h-16h, TheCamp, Aix-en-Provence, France) !

Register by clicking here, then in the second page (sessions) please click on our workshop (4-December, 14h-16h) entitled “WORKSHOP Empowering Women and Youth Change Makers in the Mediterranean and Africa”

The Concept Note and the Programme of the IM-FEMISE workshop are available by clicking here.

Come discover the testimonies of these women and young “Change Makers” who shine with their innovative spirit in the Mediterranean! Among the speakers at the IM-FEMISE workshop:

  • Samah Ben Dhia, President AltaFemina (Tunisia-France)
  • A’Laa Chbaro, ImpACT the World (Social Business) and WonderAid (all MENA region, Lebanon)
  • Chaymae Samir, fondatrice du cabinet CS International, Founder and CEO of SUNDAY IVY (Morocco, UK)
  • Layla Al Qasim, Landmark Hotels Company and 17 Asset Management (Jordan)
  • Hajar Khamlichi, President Mediterranean Youth Climate Network (Morocco)
  • Patricia Augier, Coordinator and President of Scientific Committee, IM-FEMISE (France)
  • Constantin Tsakas, General Manager of IM, General Secretary of FEMISE (France, Greece)
  • Chiraz Karoui, European Investment Bank analyst, Women Empowerment expert (Tunisia)
  • Menna Rabie, Consultant Rainmaking, former Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program Lead at Bedaya (Egypt)
  • Karine Moukaddem, Sustainable Development expert, co-organizer of Union for the Mediterraneans’ (UfM) Youth Strategy at the University for Youth and Development of North-South Center of Council of Europe.
  • Hatoumata Magassa, Bond’INNOV (France/Mali)

For a look back at the IM-FEMISE workshop “Discovering Social Change Makers” during the previous edition of EmergingValley (2018), check out the video report below.

FEMISE welcomes 6 new members !

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Following the accession of the 6 new members, FEMISE is pleased to announce that the number of members of the network reaches 109 institutes: 58 of the North and 51 of the South.

This is a vote of confidence for FEMISE, which is developing to become the most impactful EU-Med network, with a growing number of economic and political researchers from both shores working together for inclusive and sustainable development and regional integration, and with a growing number of contacts with policy makers and international organizations.

 

Bios about new FEMISE members:

 

 

Institut Supérieur de Commerce et d’Administration des Enterprise (ISCAE), Morocco :  ISCAE (Higher Institute of Commerce and Business Administration) is a major school of business and management in Morocco. It has the status of public institute under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. ISCAE has three campuses: ISCAE Casablanca, ISCAE Rabat, and ISCAE Guinea. This Institute cooperates closely with the national economic fabric in order to achieve a perfect symbiosis between the training it provides and the evolving needs of the private sector.

 

 

 

Fondation pour les etudes et recherches sur le développement Internationales (FERDI), France : FERDI is a think tank which was created in 2003. Its primary, research-based purpose, is to influence the international discussion on major development issues. Independent and not-for-profit, FERDI mobilizes high-level researchers in the field of international development and offers relevant and innovative thinking on the key issues in development economics. FERDI is particularly active on issues related to development effectiveness, sustainable development, and global governance.

 

 

 

Institut Tunisien de la Compétitivité et des Etudes Quantitatives (ITCEQ), Tunisia :  The Tunisian Institute of Competitiveness and Quantitative Studies (previously called Institute of Quantitative Economics) is a major Tunisian center for economic and social studies and competitiveness. It was created in 1973. Among its missions, it ensures the follow-up work, analysis of the Tunisian economy and its determinants at the product-level and at the macroeconomic, sectoral and regional levels and carries out surveys on the competitiveness of the private sector and the business climate.

 

Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS), Cairo, Egypt : ACPSS is one of the leading think tanks in Egypt and the region, consistently rated among the top 30 think tanks in the world in the global “Go-To think Tanks” annually produced at the University of Pennsylvania (USA). ACPSS serves as a connection space where knowledge-based policies/consultancy are produced and where different challenges faced by the region are also thoroughly studied.

 

 

 

 

DIAL- UMR LEDa – Paris Dauphine, France :  The LEDa, Dauphine’s Economics Laboratory, is a research unit created in 2009. It brings together all the economist professors-researchers from Paris Dauphine University as well as IRD and CNRS researchers. Its decision-oriented research focuses on several broad-spectrum society issues: health and aging, development and mobility, macroeconomic policies, environment and climate, and finance.

 

Yaşar University, Turquie :  Yaşar University is a university, in Izmir, Turkey. The university faculty teaches in English, with programs at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level. Yaşar University presents itself as a “boutique university”. Its goal is to be identified as a small but prestigious international Turkish university.[1] Yaşar University also adheres to a policy of internationalization: a process of connecting a globalized world with the local community through a variety of social responsibility projects.

EuroMed report: Repatriation of Refugees from Arab Conflicts: Conditions, Costs and Scenarios for Reconstruction

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The new EuroMed Report is now available

Repatriation of Refugees from Arab Conflicts : Conditions, Costs and Scenarios for Reconstruction*

The report is available for download here.  

 

This report discusses the issue of repatriation of refugees in impacted countries of the South Med region.

Through its four chapters, the authors start by looking into the characteristics of these refugees and the conditions affecting their decisions to return.

This overview is followed by an analysis of the possible political settlement scenarios and reconstructions’ potentials, with a focus on the possible role of the international community.

The authors then analyse the economic costs of conflicts as well as post-conflict growth scenarios.

The report concludes by highlighting the main findings and providing policy insights into how to address this issue to ensure a safe, sustainable and dignified return of refugees to their home countries.

 

 

Contributors 

 

Dr. Ibrahim Elbadawi, President of FEMISE and Managing Director of ERF

Dr. Samir Makidisi, Institute of Financial Economics, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Dr. Semih Tumen, Associate Professor of Economics at TED University, Turkey

Dr. Belal Fallah, Director of research at Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute-MAS, Palestine

Dr. Roger Albinyana, Director of Mediterranean Regional Policies and Human Development, IEMED, Spain

Dr. Maryse Louis, General Manager, FEMISE

Ms. Jala Emad Youssef, AUC, Egypt

 

The Euromed Report is an annual publication of FEMISE that is addressing themes of importance and interest to the EU-Med region. The report brings value-added to the themes it covers through in-depth analysis by economists from the North and the South of the Mediterranean, using a multidisciplinary approach. This brings a common view from the two shores of the Mediterranean and provides policy recommendations that can make a contribution to the South Med countries during their transition.

* This report received financial support from the European Union through the FEMISE project on “Support to Economic Research, studies and dialogues of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership”. Any views expressed in this seminar are the sole responsibility of the authors and the speakers.

FEMISE MedBRIEF 28: ” Migration, Comparative Advantages and Knowledge Diffusion”

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Dr. Anna M. Ferragina, CELPE, University of Salerno, FEMISE

The FEMISE Policy Brief series MED BRIEF aspires to provide Forward Thinking for the EuroMediterranean region. The briefs contain succinct, policy-oriented analysis of relevant EuroMed issues, presenting the views of FEMISE researchers and collaborators to policy-makers.

The latest MED BRIEF on “Migration, Comparative Advantages and Knowledge Diffusion in the EU-Mediterranean region” is available here.

 

Summary : In this policy brief we report the outcomes of a project which investigates how migration flows between MENA and the EU can impact their trade relations. We explore the link between immigration and emigration with the intensive margin (IM) and the extensive margin of trade (EM). The main novelty is to try to disentangle the knowledge transmissions channels from network and preference effects in relation to migration flows.  The analysis is carried out by checking for migration effects on the degree of technology embodied in EU traded goods by considering low, medium and high technology classes. Our results and policy implications are important for harnessing the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership for prosperity, growth and employment and are of relevance to policy-makers dealing with migration policies, trade-negotiators, and for civil society and businesses.

The list of FEMISE MED BRIEFS is available here.

The policy brief has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union within the context of the FEMISE program. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

Analyzing the impact of a EU-Tunisia DCFTA (report FEM43-16)

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From a policy perspective, what do we conclude from these results: The opening
up of markets leads to opportunities and to the possibility of net welfare gains.This
result is well established from international trade theory and from a wide range of
empirical evidence. There are many sources of these gains, but only some of which
are accounted for in a modelling framework such as the one we have used. The
extent of the gains will depend critically both on the level of non-tariff barriers
between the EU and Tunisia and on the extent of any reductions in both tariff and
non-tariff barriers. It is therefore extremely important that more work is
undertaken to better understand the extent of these barriers and what specific
policies are needed to ensure their removal.