Salim Araji

• PhD Economics
• First Economic Affairs Officer at United Nations

Economic predictions play a crucial role in assessing the overall economic state of a country. Usually predictions largely rely on data obtained from statistical offices or annual estimates of international organizations. Normally, a delay often occurs between the conclusion of the period being reported on and the publication of the statistical dat...

The present report relies on the newly developed ESCWA Skills Monitor, which encompasses big data from almost 1.7 million online job openings in the Arab region for the period June 2020 – March 2022. Using Skills Monitor results, the present report analyses whether the type of skills and jobs demanded in the region address the needs of the Fourth I...

Arab labour markets are characterized by stagnant labour force participation, high unemployment levels and limited sustainable and inclusive employment creation. According to the ILO, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 14 million Arab individuals of working age were unemployed. It is expected that the pandemic will compound the issue of...

This paper estimates a structural macro-econometric model of the Lebanese economy to simulate the implications of accumulated debt changes on GDP and other economic indicators, and to project the growth–fiscal nexus for the six years following the last year for which national statistics are systematically available, 2015–2020. To these ends, histor...

The question of interest in this essay is whether the presence of natural resource rents detracts from or contributes to domestic investments and economic diversification vis-à-vis international investments. In general, there is a positive relation between natural resource rents and domestic investments. However, evidence suggests that albeit resou...

We show that natural resource rents when distributed as lump-sum transfers to individuals distort the incentive to invest in tertiary education. Developing an overlapping generations model for the case of natural resource rents we show that if transfers from natural resource wealth occur when a country's technology level is marginal, the chance tha...

The report on “Rethinking Fiscal Policy in the Arab Region” asks whether or not current fiscal policies in the Arab region are up to the task of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It finds that the answer is mostly no—at least not yet. Many countries are lagging behind in connecting fiscal policy and development aims. Althoug...

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When the Arab Uprisings began in 2011, citizens called for dignity, democracy and social justice. Instead of witnessing the birth of more pluralistic societies and stronger governance systems, the past years have brought the Arab region only renewed authoritarianism, conflict, and yet weaker state systems. The regional governance deficit is creatin...