I helped found J-PAL’s work in the Middle East and North Africa in 2014, alongside AR Nagy and Bruno Crepon, and I currently serve as co-scientific director at the American University in Cairo.

My role has included helping build the office from the ground up and shaping its research and policy agenda over time. This includes setting strategy, building partnerships with governments and NGOs, supporting fundraising and institutional development, and growing local capacity for high-quality impact evaluation.

Today, the office runs a broad portfolio of projects and policy engagements across multiple countries in the region. Our objective is to support evidence-informed policymaking in areas such as labor markets, firms and finance, social protection, and related development priorities.

Scope and Accomplishments

J-PAL MENA has completed and launched 60+ evaluations across eight sectors in seven countries in the region, working with 20+ donors and 70 institutional partners.

• The office has more than 70 full-time employees across AUC and the Egypt Impact Lab, supporting research delivery, policy partnerships, and training.
• More than 500 government officials and development practitioners have completed J-PAL MENA capacity-building offerings.
• Regional convenings include 50+ research presentations and regular evidence-to-policy forums for public and NGO partners.
• Executive and policy-focused training programs have included participants from 28 partner organizations.
• MENA Scholars is an annual program that brings in 6 local researchers for a two-year mentorship program.

Egypt Impact Lab

A major part of this work is the Egypt Impact Lab (EIL), launched through a partnership between J-PAL MENA and Egypt’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development. EIL is a government-embedded lab that supports the Egyptian government in using rigorous evidence to design and evaluate promising public programs.

• EIL is integrated into NIGSD.
• The lab has 7 embedded staff members supporting flagship government programs.
• EIL has funded several research projects and studies and has regular calls for proposals.
• The goal is to build long-run institutional capacity to use evidence in government through RCTs and unlocking administrative data.

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