Overview: What people believe about the economy—and why it matters How do expectations about the future influence economic behavior? For decades, economists have known that beliefs play a central role—from how much households spend, to how firms set prices, to how central banks design policy. But figuring out exactly how expectations affect decisions has been […]
This issue focuses on the pricing mechanism for petroleum products and natural gas, examining how opacity in pricing harms investment and increases uncertainty for energy sector stakeholders. It also highlights how this lack of transparency drives hedging, which further fuels inflation. Finally, the issue offers proposals to improve Egypt’s pricing mechanism by drawing on best […]
Abstract: Estimating causal treatment effects in observational settings is frequently compromised by selection bias arising from unobserved confounders. While traditional econometric methods struggle when these confounders are orthogonal to structured covariates, high-dimensional unstructured text often contains rich proxies for these latent variables. This study proposes a Neural Network-Enhanced Double Machine Learning (DML)framework designed to leverage […]
This issue of “Economic Lens” examines some international experiences in the iron and steel industry, with a particular focus on how trade protection policies can be designed to enhance the industry’s competitiveness while minimizing their cost to the economy.
Overview: A feminist romp through pop culture that illuminates how women influence and shape the economy. Taylor Swift isn’t just a pop megastar. She is a working woman whose astounding accomplishments defy patriarchal norms. And while not all women can be Beyoncé or Dolly Parton or Reese Witherspoon, the successes of these trailblazing stars help […]
Abstract: This working paper examines the pricing of petroleum products and natural gas, which together accounted for 96% of Egypt’s energy mix in 2025. The analysis compares Egypt’s pricing mechanisms with those applied internationally and proposes reforms aligned with international best practices. The study found a clear gap between the pricing mechanisms for petroleum products […]
Can greater use of Meeza cards for purchases help ease the pressure on ATMs? This issue of Economic Lens examines this question and offers insights into the answer.
Overview: In The Doom Loop, economist Eswar Prasad argues that the very forces that we long believed could stabilize the world order are fueling its destabilization. Rather than promoting shared prosperity, globalization has instead deepened economic inequality, stoked political backlash, and prompted escalating trade wars. Institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization, […]
