News

By Zouhair ElKadhi, Dalia Elsabbagh, Aymen Frija, Thouraya Lakoud, Manfred Wiebelt and Clemens Breisinger May 2020 The COVID-19 crisis is expected to lead to a 46.4 percent decline in Tunisia’s GDP during the 2nd quarter of 2020 (April to June). The industrial sector will be hit hardest, with output falling by 52.7 percent, followed closely […]

By Fatma Abdelaziz, Clemens Breisinger, Nadim Khouri, and James Thurlow
Uncertainty was pervasive in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in 2019, reflecting ongoing conflicts and their regional spillover effects, global trade tensions, and fluctuating oil prices. These problems continue to pose significant challenges, and as a result regional economic output (GDP) growth slowed in 2019 and is expected to have fallen to less than 1 percent. Lower oil prices have disrupted oil exporters’ plans to diversify away from oil because they now lack the funds to invest in new sectors. Despite the lower prices [...]

By Kibrom A. Abay, Hosam Ibrahim, and Clemens Breisinger
Understanding the public health implication of fiscal policies is crucial to combat recently increasing overweight and obesity rates in many low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). This study examines the implication of food policies, mainly tariff rates on “unhealthy” foods, including sugar and confectionery products as well as fats and oils, and governments’ subsidies on [...]