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April 2025 MENA Bi-Annual Newsletter
Photo credits: Nashwa Safian, Community Jameel, J-PAL MENA
KEY UPDATES
- Official launch event of HAPIE, J-PAL MENA's regional Air and Water Lab
- Building Evidence Ecosystems in Employment, Education through Training: a 3‑day learning event with the European Training Foundation
- Participating in the Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum
- J-PAL MENA’s 5-year anniversary celebration coming up in July
EVENTS & MILESTONES
Launching the Hub of Advanced Policy Innovation for the Environment (HAPIE)
J-PAL MENA at The American University in Cairo launched HAPIE in February, featuring a keynote by H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, and a panel on Egypt’s climate challenges with experts from international organizations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the private sector.
As part of J-PAL’s network of Air and Water Labs (AWLs) launched with Community Jameel, HAPIE is the regional AWL counterpart to India and South Africa, collaborating with governments to develop evidence-based clean air and water solutions. HAPIE has a unique identity as an extension of the Egypt Impact Lab, broadening its sectoral focus to encompass environmental, energy, and climate change issues. HAPIE is made possible with generous support from its founding partners, Community Jameel and the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development. Learn more and watch the event recording »
Building Evidence Ecosystems in Employment, Education Through Training
The Egypt Impact Lab (EIL) and the European Training Foundation gathered policy leaders and technical experts in Cairo this April to promote evidence-based employment and education initiatives. Together, we co-hosted a 3-day learning event that blended high-level policy dialogue with practical evaluation training, featuring insights from GIZ, ILO, UNICEF Egypt, WAPES, Swedish Public Employment Service, and RAND Europe.
The Building Ecosystems in Employment, Education, and Training (BEET) is the first in a series of learning events that the EIL aims to equip policymakers and practitioners with evaluation frameworks, evidence-sharing protocols, and best practices for crafting evidence-based policies. View the event details »
Advancing the role of evidence and data in driving impact for humanitarian action in MENA
J-PAL MENA and Community Jameel co-hosted a panel discussion at The Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum in Saudi Arabia, to explore the role of innovation and the generation of rigorous evidence in conflict settings. The session highlighted how targeted data and evidence-based approaches can inform and enhance humanitarian action, featuring real-world examples to demonstrate their impact. Read more about our humanitarian portfolio »
Boosting local capacity for data collection
Did you know? Over the past four months, our Research & Research Operations staff have trained 243 surveyors from local data collection firms that help us gather evidence on the ground in 17 different governorates. Through these workshops, surveyors built hands-on skills in using digital tools, applying ethical research practices, and tackling real-world field challenges—equipping them to collect high-quality data for J-PAL MENA’s ongoing impact evaluations. Learn more about our capacity building offerings »
Making every Egyptian pound spent on development count
How can policymakers ensure that national programs drive real change for families? The Egypt Impact Lab (EIL)—a collaboration between J-PAL MENA and Egypt’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, with support from Community Jameel and the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development—works with government partners to design and evaluate programs. In a new blog post, we share how EIL’s integration into the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development in 2024 marked a turning point in Egypt’s commitment to evidence-based governance. Read the blog »
ON THE HORIZON
Morocco Innovation and Evaluation Lab Policy Conference
The Morocco Innovation and Evaluation Lab is hosting a policy conference on June 25, 2025, at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic campus in Rabat, Morocco. The event will bring together Moroccan decision-makers, international researchers, and development practitioners to share insights on key policy challenges and strengthen collaborations relating to education, employment, and climate change resilience. To learn more about the event and how to register, reach out to [email protected] »
Celebrating 5 years of J-PAL MENA
This year marks half a decade of J-PAL MENA’s work to advance evidence-based policymaking in the region. To commemorate this milestone, we are hosting a celebration this summer that will bring together key partners and colleagues to reflect on our journey, celebrate shared achievements, and explore the future of evidence-informed policymaking in the region. We are honored that Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee (Co-Founder and Director, J-PAL) will be joining the event.
Roundtable: Harnessing Rigorous Research to Shape Climate Policy
On 14 May 2025, from 5:30–7:00 pm CET, our Executive Director Ahmed Elsayed will speak at a policy roundtable on how organizations are using rigorous evidence to inform climate action. Co-organized by the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), J-PAL Europe, and J-PAL’s King Climate Action Initiative, the event will feature experts from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the Centre for Net Zero, the German Council on Foreign Relations, and more. Learn more and register to attend virtually »
TEAM SPOTLIGHT: J-PAL MENA'S POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWS
Yasmine ElKhateeb, whose work spans development, gender, migration, and political economy, is a lecturer of economics at Cairo University and a short-term consultant with the World Bank. Her recent publication examines the impact of Internet use on citizens’ perceptions of democracy in Africa. Yasmine holds a PhD and a Master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Mai Mahmoud brings expertise in development, agricultural, and environmental economics. Her recent work focused on the role of prices in allocating new agricultural technologies, and the potential for machine learning methods to improve targeting of food aid programs. Mai holds a PhD in Economics and Public Policy from Tufts University, and an MSc in Economics from London School of Economics.