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Ghada Barsoum

American University in Cairo, Egypt

I truly appreciate the role of IZA in making knowledge accessible to both students and practitioners, particularly for those in parts of the world where access to knowledge is constrained

IZA World of Labor role

Author

Current position

Associate Professor and Chair of Public Policy and Administration, The American University in Cairo, Egypt

Research interest

Education, youth, gender, employment, poverty

Website

https://www.aucegypt.edu/fac/ghadabarsoum

Positions/functions as a policy advisor

Research Associate and Senior Program Manager for the Poverty, Gender and Youth Program at The Population Council, Consultant to Economic Research Forum Cairo

Past positions

Program Director for Master of Public Policy, The American University in Cairo, Egypt, 2014–2018; Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Administration, The American University in Cairo, Egypt, 2010–2017

Qualifications

PhD Sociology, University of Toronto, Canada, 2005

Selected publications

  • “Can youth activation policies be central to social policies in MENA countries?” International Social Security Review 71:2 (2018): 39–56.

  • “Does private higher education improve employment outcomes? Comparative analysis from Egypt." Public Organization Review 18:1 (2018): 125–142 (with A. Rashad).

  • "The allure of 'easy': Reflections on the learning experience in private higher education institutions in Egypt." Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education 47:1 (2017): 105–117.

  • “'Women, work and family”: Educated women’s employment decisions and social policies in Egypt.” Gender, Work and Organization (Forthcoming).

  • "Egypt’s many transitions: Public administration reform vision and implementation challenges." International Journal of Public Administration (Forthcoming).

article(s)

  • Public employment in the Middle East and North Africa

    Does a changing public sector workforce in the MENA region provide an opportunity for efficient restructuring?

    Ragui AssaadGhada Barsoum, August 2019
    Public sector hiring has been an essential component of the social bargains that have maintained political stability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). As these bargains eroded, public sector workforces contracted in relative terms owing to a partial freeze on hiring and the promise of lifetime job security for incumbent workers. This had profound effects on the age composition of the workforce. The upcoming retirement of many workers provides an opportunity to restructure public sector hiring to emphasize meritocratic recruitment processes and performance-based compensation systems.
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