MEDiterranean PROspects

Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science- Cairo University since August 2008, and Professor of Economics, Cairo University since 1995.
My main areas of specialization are macroeconomic analysis and labor market research. During the last 20 years I have been heavily involved in conducting economic surveys. The fields of research varied and included several topics such as labor market research projects, micro and small enterprises surveys, empirical studies on industrial enterprises especially in the areas of textiles and electronics, industrial complexes/clusters. In the last seven years I got engaged in socio-economic household surveys and socio-economic and political polls.

The latest research papers and reports were:

• El Mahdi, A., 2009, "The repercussions of the Financial Crisis on the Economic Activity and Employment, in the conference on:Social Implications of the Economic Crisis on the Egyptian Economy and the ways out of it”, Center of Economic and Financial Research and Studies, Cairo.
• El Mahdi, A., etal, 2009, "A Survey Study of the Implications of the Application of Quality Assurance Programs on the Improvement of Education", for the Quality Assurance Program, Ministry of Higher Education, Cairo.
• El Mahdi, A., etal, 2008, "Science and Technology in a sample of Private Sector Companies in Egypt", Ministry of Higher Education, Cairo.
• El Mahdi, A. etal, 2008, Egypt’s Human Development Report 2008, Ministry of Economic Development and UNDP, Cairo
• El Mahdi, A. and H.El Said,Ed.,(2007), The Role of Financial and Non-financial Services in Supporting MSMEs in Egypt, CEFRS and the Egyptian Banking Institute, Cairo.
• El Mahdi,A. & M. Metwally, Ed.,(2007), Evaluation of the Privatization Program in Egypt (1992-2006), UNDP and Center for Economic and Financial Research and Studies, Cairo.

Jørgen Mortensen is Associate Senior Research Fellow at the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS). He graduated in economics and statistics from the University in Copenhagen in 1963. After a brief period as administrator at the Central Statistical Office he took up a post as junior economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. From 1973 to 1988 he was a senior economist (Head of Division) in the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission. Since 1989 he has been free-lance researcher, mainly associated with CEPS. Jørgen Mortensen has written or edited numerous research reports and books on issues as economic and social cohesion in the European Union, the financing of retirement provision, portability of pension rights, the role of intellectual capital in the economy, intangibles in business accounting and, more recently, on various aspects of demographic ageing and its consequences for labour markets, retirement and health care provision.