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Napa's Generous Restaurants Continue to Quietly Give Back
By Lisa Adams Walter
Napa Valley Restaurants have not only been in the trenches for nearly a year, they have more movingly been in the foxhole for our community, fighting for all of us, and each other. The key to success in a foxhole is the ability to rely on others—you need to know that someone has your back.
While as a community, we have all been frustrated by the challenges and changes in our lives caused by disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is well known that restaurants are one business sector that have been faced with mounting obstacles and suffered tremendous loss.
Over the years, whether it be a school fundraiser, a charity auction, or a campaign to support someone in need, the restaurants are repeatedly asked for donations of gift certificates, food, services, use of space and dine and donate nights. In the best of times, and even the worst of times, restaurateurs are caregivers and repeatedly step up to help those in need.
"After an amazing 2019, 2020 was probably the most challenging year of my entire career," owner Justin Graffigna of Il Posto Trattoria said, "The pandemic lasted far longer than anyone anticipated and is still continuing. It posed so many difficulties and uncertainties no one was anticipating. Closing down to to-go food only, reopening outdoor, opening to 25%, then to 50%, back to outdoors, and finally back to takeout only. It's been like a yo-yo, with lots of ups and lots of downs."
"Every time we figure out what to do, and think, 'hey this is cool, we've got this,' it all changes," said owner Chuck Meyer of Napa Palisades Saloon, referencing the ever-changing restrictions and allowances imposed upon restaurants. "Every situation is unprecedented, and as a restaurant, you don't have a business model for it until you have done it for a few weeks—then you get a pattern, and then they change it."
Every dining establishment has experienced the restrictions put in place for staff and customer safety. Creativity and reinvention of business has been paramount. Most now offer takeout or delivery, which adds to costs as to-go containers and packaging are pricey. Many have invested thousands of dollars to build expensive outdoor seating spaces—that sat vacant during the highest levels of shutdown. Some restaurants have followed closely in compliance, others have temporarily closed, while some have forever shuttered their doors.
Bettina Rouas of Angèle Restaurant and Bar reports that 2020 was the hardest year of her life, "The biggest challenge was figuring out what to do next to keep going and help my staff. 2021 unfortunately was not the start we had hoped, and we are still trying to figure out how to stay relevant and to stay positive."
"Reflecting on the past ten—almost eleven—years of our restaurant, I can honestly say that the past 11 months were the most challenging of my career as a chef and a restaurant owner," said chef and owner Tyler Rodde of Oenotri. "Nothing has threatened our existence like the shutdowns required by this pandemic."
"Staying safe. Constantly adapting to ever-changing conditions. Keeping my team together and safe until we can reopen, again," are some of the challenges chef and owner Ken Frank of La Toque restaurant cites.
Owner Fred Corona of Taqueria Rosita added, "COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the hospitality business, in particular, businesses that are involved in food and beverage. Between the shelter-in-place orders and the reduction in occupancy of our dining rooms, it's killing all restaurants. Some will get by, but if your employees are not working, you kind of feel responsible for that. I see that 2021 will be more of the same. The restaurant business is hard enough and then you throw in a pandemic and wildfires, it becomes a grim situation."
Pivoting from a full-service restaurant to takeout only was echoed by owner Thomas Finch of Filippi's Pizza Grotto, "We have had to be creative in order to allow our staff to continue working in creative new jobs so that they can sustain their own livelihoods during this time. Many have chosen to leave the industry and the state as well. When we reopened, some staff did not want to return for fear of contracting the virus. This left us short staffed upon reopening. Then there was the challenge of getting the products needed because many of the factories and plants were also closed, leaving shortages in the industry."
"The extended shelter-at-home guidelines over 2020, and now into 2021, require that business operators think and act differently to meet changing needs and demands across the community," founder and owner Ben Koenig of Heritage Eats said, "This has broadly meant finding creative ways to serve locals more regularly at home, who are also handling their own new challenges. Many are juggling multiple responsibilities with work-from-home or adjusted working hours and virtual school. With the continued extension of shelter-in-place guidelines, personal habits and professional schedules have the potential to drastically change more permanently from pre-pandemic ways. All of this puts a high level of uncertainty on the future of any business, without strategic adjustments to future operations and marketing."
"Besides what everybody else is dealing with, keeping our staff taken care of and making sure that they are able to provide for their families has been challenging," according to Director of Operations Allison Hallum of Eiko's and Napa Noodles, "We accomplished this by paying fair living wages above minimum wage. We also used our staff to freshen up the restaurant and work on deep cleaning and maintenance projects, giving them some hours to support their families while we are closed."
Hallum, whose family owns both restaurants, also noted that they changed internal tipping procedures so that everyone could still pay their mortgage and put their kids through school. "We didn't want their lives to be disrupted," she added, "It was really about taking care of those that worked for us, so they could take care of the community which has been so supportive and giving this past year. Every time we gave back, the community gave back to us tenfold."
The unknown future was also referenced within the challenges of 2020 and 2021 by owner Eric Keffer of Cole's Chop House, "The uncertainty. You could change and pivot, but the decisions you make could have long-term ramifications. If you don't change up your mindset, you won't have a business to come back to. Another challenge is the changing dining culture, certain aspects after COVID will change. People will want more space between tables, and certain aspects of table service will have to be changed. The challenges that are unforeseen are the hardest to adapt to."
Stretched thin and beleaguered, restaurateurs are faced with daily business decisions that include staff reductions, layoffs, supplier relations, safety and compliance. Most have had to make huge personal investments and sacrifices, realizing all along, the importance of their industry and the integral role that restaurants play within the county. Many Napa families employed by restaurants are in a tough spot. Our community is fragile, and the needs are high.
In response, the restaurant community has quietly banded together in the face of this seemingly unreal situation. Rather than duck and cover, the restaurants are continuing to give back.
Mick Salyer of La Taberna Napa and ZuZu said that even in these times of angst and loss, "We as restaurateurs feed people in mass and it is easy for us to step up and feed those in need. At the start of the pandemic, a group of restaurant folks got together to figure out the needs of our community, be it the laid off employees, all the way down to the homeless."
"What you find in hospitality is people who are to their core, unsurprisingly, hospitable. It's who we are, it's in our DNA. We serve people. Whether it's the pride and joy of cooking or serving others, bringing comfort and pleasure to others is what makes us tick," said Chef Ken Frank, "Resilience is also in our DNA. In the best of times this is a difficult business, and we are a resourceful lot. So when the going gets tough, well, we're pretty ready for that too. To be good at hospitality, you have to have a generous heart."
Many restaurants are now connected to and an important part of the operating fabric of social services such as the South Napa Homeless Shelter, Feeding it Forward, Rainbow House, Feed Napa Now and The Salvation Army.
Chuck Meyer of Napa Palisades Saloon and First and Franklin Marketplace says that he thinks that restaurant owners, and especially in Napa, understand that in spite of everything that's happened, are still fortunate to have this amazing community that has really stepped up. Meyer's restaurants have supported many in need including Feed Napa Now, the Boys & Girls Clubs, Rainbow House, the COVID-19 testing site and The Salvation Army.
When Wendi Moore from the South Napa Homeless shelter called Ken Frank to ask if they could pick up another day to serve lunch, he realized that La Toque had an opportunity to do something positive at a terrible time. "That made the decision easy, and we committed to do all five days a week. My banquet department was and remains closed, we had the capacity, and we didn't want to waste it. This community has been so good to us that we felt whatever we could do to help was just the right thing to do." Now that other restaurants are participating, La Toque is covering two days per week.
To be able to cook gave Frank's culinary team purpose, "Cooks live to cook, it's what we do even when we're not 'working.' And it felt really good to make a difference. It quickly became more too, as the community rallied around our efforts. We put a donation button for the shelter on the landing page of our website, and our friends contributed a huge sum to pay for the single-use supplies that the shelter had to use due to COVID precautions, as well as, supplement the food available from the Food Bank."
Thomas Finch at Filippi's continues to give, as this is the community that we live in and raise our children in. "We continue to support out first responders and COVID testers on an ongoing basis, because it's the right thing to do." Filippis also offers a 10% discount to first responders, provided food to the frontline during the wildfires, and fed his own staff and their families while they were out of work.
Taqueria Rosita has helped with Feed Napa Now, and according to Fred Corona, "In the beginning of the pandemic we were feeding staff at Queen of The Valley Hospital. We later helped out the COVID testing center volunteers for lunch for about a month. During the wildfires, we helped The Salvation Army with meals for all of our displaced neighbors. Doing these things feels great for me and my staff!"
Angèle reports that they have donated food to local shelters and fed the community during the fires, "Aside from the shelters, we have been raising money to help out our staff," Bettina Rouas explained. They have developed a GoFundMe page on their website, all gratuities go to the staff, and the first week of sales went to their staff as well.
"I think it is important to always give back to the place I was born and raised," said Justin Graffigna of Il Posto, "I'm not sure that I have denied a donation request that has been for our local community. Our outlook on the pandemic is that we are all in this together, so we have to help in any way possible. Although that sounds cliché, it's the truth. I'd do anything for this community that has given us so much support, to me and to my business. What comes around goes around." Il Posto has donated to various GoFundMe campaigns for people who lost homes during the fires, and provided meals for people who were displaced. The restaurant sent lunches to frontline workers, nurses and COVID testing staff. "During the pandemic we have continued to do Dine and Donates for various local organizations and schools. I feel it is important to always be involved in keeping our local community and economy afloat," Graffigna added.
Pre-pandemic at Heritage Eats, the team—which in addition to Ben Koenig includes co-owner Ali Koenig and General Manager Charles Whittaker—enjoyed regularly planning Dine and Donates with local community groups, donating gift cards and food donations for events, and sponsoring youth sports leagues. "To continue to give back to the community as community needs have greatly increased," said Ben Koenig, "We have developed a few restaurant programs including virtual Dine and Donates—meaning proceeds are donated from online orders, with food donations to the Boys & Girls Club, and most notably our Pay It Forward campaign. This evolved into a partnership with the community where folks could purchase a discounted meal from the restaurant, and we would donate food bundles to local frontline groups including the COVID testing site, local hospitals and others. We received a large donation from the local law firm Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty and were able to turn that around and serve over $5,000 in meals across the community."
At Cole's Chop House, Eric Keffer is clear about the reason that they give back, "It's the right thing to do! It's not about getting public recognition, it's about showing our love to those that reside in our community. Also, to show our appreciation for what these individuals are doing to serve and support our community. It's very humbling to live in a community where there's a public outcry to support first responders and emergency service responders." Cole's has also supplied lunches to firefighters, fire victims, the Boys & Girls Club of Napa Valley, nursing homes and Queen of the Valley Hospital.
"The restaurants give back to the community because it is in our nature to serve those around us. We also give back because we know how important it is to have community support, especially in times like these," Allison Hallum of Eiko's added, "We live here, our kids go to school here, our friends and families have businesses here. I am so grateful for our community, and we are very quiet about our support, yet it is easy to give back to a community that is so supportive of the restaurant community." Just as Eric Keffer said, Hallum added, "We just do it because it's the right thing to do." Eiko's and Napa Noodles donated several meals to PG&E, first responders and COVID testing site volunteers, as well as, provided gift certificates to wildfire evacuees.
"Restaurants are built on the premise of nurturing people, and we love every opportunity we get to do that, whether it's a regular dinner service in the dining room, a meal donation to Feed Napa Now, or a charity event for the Boys & Girls Club or Crush Napa Valley. We look forward to getting back to those days, but we continue to face a tremendous amount of unknowns. One thing is certain: we will only exist on the other side of this pandemic with the continued support of our local community," said Tyler Rodde of Oentori.
Mick Salyer of La Taberna and ZuZu said, "We were quick to confer with Wendi Moore with Adobe Services and I moved forward to feed the homeless families at Rainbow House here in Napa. So ZuZu Wood Fired Paella, working with ZuZu tapas and La Taberna, picked up Fridays to help feed the mothers and kids at the Rainbow House with a paella dinner. We also fed the COVID testing crew weekly, the Boys & Girls Club and any 'industry staff' that needed a meal."
When asked why restaurants are continuing to give, Salyer remarked, "This is such an interesting question as most restaurants are struggling to survive, but yet still, most every restaurant that I know is digging deep, deeper than their means, to help the people that have less. It is so indicative of our industry. We do far more than just serve food, it is about community, caring and hospitality."
"There is enough food, the system just doesn't deliver the last ¼ mile to many of the people in need. Everyone in this great country should have enough healthy, nutritious and tasty food to eat, period. Eliminating hunger is a solvable problem and needs to be a priority, said Ken Frank of La Toque, who gleans inspiration from Chef José Andrés founder of World Central Kitchen. "For the last few years, some of the most enlightened global moral leadership has come from a chef. I could not be more proud of him and am thrilled to do what I can in my own community. Chefs rock!"
"Many of our fellow restaurateurs may not recover from these closures," Thomas Finch of Filippi's stated, "All have saved money all of their lives to see their dreams come true. They leveraged their homes and borrowed money because of the joy of seeing a smile on the faces of the customers they serve. This is why we do what we do. Being in the restaurant business requires an unbelievable workload. Most work seven days a week to see their dreams come true."
"Breaking even and working all these hours is not very self gratifying, but what is gratifying, is knowing that we were here for our community," added Justin Graffigna of Il Posto.
"It's touching to live in a community when so many businesses do this as the norm," Eric Keffer of Cole's Chop House added.
Speaking of his colleagues, Chuck Meyer of Napa Palisades concluded, "All of these people that are used to giving in abundance, they have been challenged throughout the pandemic. But these guys are still coming through, and they will continue to do so after all of this is done. Maybe even more so."


1) (granted to Thomas Henry Ismay, Esq., of Waterloo, co. Lancaster). Motto—Naturae lex processus. (Thos. Henry Ismay, Esq., of Liverpool). Motto—Naturae lex processus. Or, on a bend wavy az. betw. two anchors erect of the last, a mullet betw. two crescents ar. Crest—On waves of the sea a seahorse reguard. betw. two coral branches all ppr.
2) Az. a chev. or, betw. two bezants in chief and a cross crosslet fitchée in base or.
The four main devices (symbols) in the Ismay blazon are the crescent, mullet, anchor and seahorse. The three main tinctures (colors) are or, gules and argent .


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text:
Haili Kendall
Major: Criminal Justice and Museum Studies
College can be a truly transformative experience for students. For Haili Kendall, it's been life changing. Haili found her faith and a future career that she is passionate about during her time at Walsh University.
A junior majoring in criminal justice and museum studies with minors in forensics studies and community and nonprofit leadership, she was recently accepted into Walsh University's 4+1 BA/MBA program with aspirations to work in federal law enforcement.
Of course, college is about doing well in coursework and gaining skills for future employment, but it is so much more than that. Haili has experienced a wide range of activities and encountered new ideas and challenges at Walsh.
She is the president of the museum engagement team, president of Cavs for Life, the service and mission coordinator for Campus Ministry, a resident assistant, Career Peer Lead in the career center, and an honors student who interns and volunteers with several organizations.
"I think being involved in all of these things is what keeps me busy and also keeps me responsible and diligent in pursuing my goals," Kendall said.
The pandemic has been challenging for many students, especially as we've physically distanced, but Haili, who had been to Mass with her freshman roommate a time or two and had taken the History of Christianity honors course, found herself wanting to know more about the Catholic faith.
"I thought I was being called toward something greater and decided to convert to Catholicism" Kendall said. "I know myself, and I can't be 50 percent Catholic. If there is something I am conflicted about, something the Catholic Church says, I need to research it and know all I can. I read book after book during the quarantine. I was finishing my classes, but I was also a voracious reader."
Haili was baptized, received her first communion, and was confirmed on Easter of 2021.
As she looks forward to being a senior at Walsh University, she is excited to complete her final internship, potentially in the FBI's Honors Internship Program, and work on her MBA (Master s program for Business Administration) coursework.
"The FBI is all about community, working with different community organizations and helping promote those social justice aspects of society, and I think it plays into my Catholic faith as well," she said. "I'm learning to be a better Catholic and a better businesswoman."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Microweisea texana – gatunek chrząszcza z rodziny biedronkowatych i podrodziny Microweiseinae. Zamieszkuje południe Stanów Zjednoczonych.

Taksonomia
Gatunek ten opisany został po raz pierwszy w 1985 roku przez Roberta Gordona na łamach "Journal of the New York Entomological Society" pod nazwą Gnathoweisea hageni. Jako miejsce typowe wskazano Barton Weems Farm na wschód od Heidenheimer w stanie Teksas. Epitet gatunkowy oznacza po łacinie "teksańska" i nawiązuje do miejsca typowego. W 2012 roku rodzaj Gnathoweisea zsynonimizowany został z Microweisea przez Hermesa Escalonę i Adama Ślipińskiego.

Morfologia
Chrząszcz o podługowato-owalnym, wyraźnie wysklepionym ciele długości około 1 mm i szerokości około 0,7 mm. Wierzch ciała porośnięty jest rozproszonymi, krótkimi włoskami. Głowa jest niemal czarna, skórzasta, słabo połyskująca, prawie pozbawiona punktowania, umiarkowanie przed oczami wydłużona, pociągła, ale krótsza niż u M. ferox. Czułki zbudowane są z dziesięciu członów, z których trzy ostatnie formują zwartą buławkę. Ostatni człon głaszczków szczękowych jest wąsko-stożkowaty. Przedplecze jest poprzeczne, prawie czarne, matowe, skórzaste, pokryte mikrosiateczkowaniem o małych oczkach oraz delikatnymi, niewyraźnymi punktami oddalonymi na odległości wynoszące od jednej do trzech ich średnic. Kąty przednio-boczne przedplecza mają ukośne linie. Kształt tarczki jest trójkątny. Pokrywy są ciemnobrązowe, błyszczące, pokryte grubymi punktami rozstawionymi na odległości nieco większe niż ich średnice, rzadszymi niż u podobnej M. planiceps. Skrzydła tylnej pary są normalnie wykształcone. Odnóża są ciemnobrązowe, zakończone trójczłonowymi stopami o niezmodyfikowanych pazurkach. Spód ciała jest nieco ciemnobrązowy. Przedpiersie wypuszcza ku przodowi zasłaniający narządy gębowe płat. Przednia krawędź śródpiersia jest płaska. Boki zapiersia i spód odwłoka są skórzaste. Odwłok ma sześć widocznych na spodzie sternitów (wentrytów). Samica ma spermatekę w kształcie bulwy z wydłużonym szczytem oraz zaopatrzoną w długie, rurkowate infundibulum torebkę kopulacyjną.

Rozprzestrzenienie
Owad nearktyczny, endemiczny dla Teksasu w południowych Stanach Zjednoczonych, znany tylko z lokalizacji typowej w hrabstwie Bell.

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne
 Fotografia okazu w BugGuide Iowa State University

Biedronkowate
Chrząszcze Ameryki Północnej
Gatunki i podgatunki zwierząt nazwane w 1985 roku

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A conference or discussion involving several participants.
Knowledge Economy: Where Does Egypt Stand?
This roundtable aims to raise the awareness, especially amongst parliamentarians, of the importance of budget and fiscal transparency. It will provide an opportunity for IMF experts to present international best practices with regard to budget transparency, and for Dr. Ahmed Kouchouk, Vice Minister of Finance for Fiscal Policies to present Egypt's experience in this regard.
Will Egypt Face a Real Estate Bubble?
Discussing the current conditions of the real estate market in Egypt, this RTD attempted to answer whether Egypt will face a real-estate bubble. Attendees included stakeholders, real estate developers, bankers, and government officials.
Bureaucracy, corruption and policy unpredictability are among the most important impediments to doing business in Egypt, according to the Global Competitiveness Report. Worldwide Governance Indicators show that government performance is generally lower than the average in the Middle East and North Africa. Signs of Indecisiveness include the hesitance of officials to decide on disputes between state institutions and investors, lack of transparency and accountability in the state's administrative body, as well as the complexity thereof and the power overlap among its units.
The Egyptian Center for Economic Studies organized this roundtable discussion as part of its 2018 agenda's digital economy activities.
The Egyptian Center for Economic Studies organized this conference in cooperation with Alexandria Businessmen Association. Conference sessions discussed the optimal institutional framework for SMEs management; "Your Job near Your Home" project; some innovative SME ideas; as well as an integrated strategy for small businesses. Discussions also included a detailed analysis of the status of home appliance industries, financing and SMEs, as well as the one-stop and technical support services provided by the SMEs Development Authority. They also addressed the main obstacles faced by SMEs; problems pertained to lands and procedures faced by investors; main procedural developments at the Industrial Development Authority; and the suggestion to use the State's unused lands for SMEs.
The conventional thinking is to provide developing countries with what they lack, such as financial resources and sound institutions. However, it can be a daunting task to establish well-functioning financial system and institutions. A more viable approach often is to enhance existing strengths embedded in rural areas. One noted approach is the cluster-based development model. Egypt has a large number of clusters; however, unlike in many Asian and Latin American countries where cluster-based development was a driver of agricultural and rural development, most of these clusters remain small.
This roundtable was held in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) under the USAID-funded project "Evaluating Impact and Building Capacity (EIBC). The objective of the seminar was to inform policy-making in Egypt and to refine the research agenda on cluster-based development.
South Africa has achieved a lot on its path to socioeconomic transformation since the beginning of democracy in 1994. Although much is known about the motivation and nature of the policies and institutional changes that drove this transformation, little is known about how they were executed. This workshop aims to review the South African experience in institutional reforms to draw lessons about why they succeeded. The emphasis is less on what was done and more on "the how to" of reforms. In particular, insights will be provided on the trade-offs policymakers faced, and the sequencing and complementarities among the various reforms. The aim is to discuss how Egypt can benefit from the South African experience in reforming its institutions.
Achieving inclusive growth and social justice will not be possible without improving the quality of life in Egyptian villages, where 64 percent of the population live. In line with ECES's strategic direction and in cooperation with the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the Center used a survey conducted by CAPMAS in 2015 on the characteristics of rural Egypt to develop a quality of life index for the Egyptian villages. The aim is to classify villages according to priority needs and hence the required interventions. The purpose is to maximize the positive impact on Egyptian citizens and achieve social justice.
This roundtable discussion highlighted the most significant results of the WEF Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016 for Egypt in light of the important institutional and economic reforms undertaken in the past year. The roundtable also discussed the implications of the report for the Sustainable Development Strategy – Egypt 2030 as well as the main competitiveness pillars from the perspective of the Egyptian private sector. It also shed light on the main weaknesses that reflect negatively on Egypt's competiveness ranking and proposed recommendations for future reform.
The rise of global supply chains and new business models has given services—such as tourism, financial intermediation, communications and transportation—even more prominence and strategic importance, with strong implications for social welfare and quality of life. The service sector has seen substantial growth in recent years, with services value-added reaching more than 70 percent of world GDP in 2014.
Egypt's Sustainable Development Startegy announced in the March 2015 Egypt Economic Development Conference envisions to increase the contribution of services to GDP from 50 percent to the world average. This requires a paradigm shift in the role of the state from being a service provider to an efficient regulator as well as changes in a wide range of policies and regulations that affect investment, competition, consumer protection, and the enviroment.
1- What are the main regulatory and institutional reforms needed for efficient services?
2- How to enhance competition in services markets through trade in services liberalization?
3- Would trade liberalization improve access to efficient and affordable services, helping achieve efficiency and social equity?
1. How can Egypt optimize its specific capabilities and unleash its latent capacities?
2. What can Egypt learn from other countries best practices for a successful IP?
3. What does it take for industrial policy to work in Egypt going forward?
3. The civil service law and relevant legislations.
The EBRD's 2014 Transition Report (TR), titled "Innovation in Transition", focuses on how individual companies across the transition region innovate. The report reveals how innovation can help increase firm productivity, boost economic growth, and re-energise transition. The report takes a broad view of innovationusing a unique enterprise survey analysing how firms innovate by introducing new products, new production processes, new ways to organize themselves, and new ways to market their products and services, and whether they do this by adopting products and technologies from advanced economies or by developing new products and processes themselves. The report also takes stock of firms' investments in research and development and provides new insights into how managerial practices influence firm productivity.
A key theme of this report is that regardless of a country's level of economic development and its progress along the transition path, firm managers can make decisions that have a profound influence on the efficiency and productivity of the businesses they run. Yet, which actions are most beneficial - R&D, adopting products that were developed elsewhere, or improving management practices - depends strongly on the business environment in which a firm operates. Governments can do a great deal to unleash this potential, but in order to determine the right measures for any given country they must work closely with the private sector.
The presentation also showcased the findings from a recent EBRD research paper that investigates the nature of growth undergone by Egypt in the decade preceding the Arab Spring. The paper demonstrates that during this period of high growth, Egypt did not witness a structural reallocation of labour towards modern, productive sectors in the way that was seen in emerging markets, notably in South-East Asia. It is argued that factors including limited openness to trade, a low diversification of exports and deficient access to finance explain why Egypt is currently in this "low value trap". EBRD then presented sector-specific and cross-cutting policy proposals to overcome these barriers to structural change and boost productivity growth.
The potential of the vast pool of small and medium businesses in Egypt to grow into lucrative, innovative and competitive firms is unrealized. Their latent capacity to generate jobs, export and create value for large business is significant but there are barriers to their growth.
A bold and far reaching initiative to invigorate smaller businesses is needed. The time to act is now. Government is focused on the business environment for smaller firms. International financial institutions will be working with banks to expand access to capital. However, international experience has shown these interventions are not sufficient to invigorate smaller businesses and to achieve the desired economy-wide impact and scale required in Egypt for economic recovery and growth.
Large business has a critical role to play. Mentoring and engaging with smaller business on a large scale can catalyze graduation of firms to productive, profitable, and innovative businesses that can play their critical role in the economy.
What can large Egyptian businesses do to better develop and integrate small and medium enterprises? How can smaller firms become better suppliers, distributors and exporters? What incentives and institutions would create a market that allows smaller firms to grow?
Competitiveness is how countries create the best economic, social and environmental conditions for economic development. The aim of this roundtable was to launch the 2014-2015 Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) in Egypt and attempt to formulate a vision for the future of the Egyptian economy based the results of the report. The GCR is based on an index used by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to evaluate how 144 countries fare on competitiveness. Evaluation is based on their performance on 12 pillars of competitiveness: institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic stability, health and primary education, higher education, goods market efficiency, labor market efficiency, financial market sophistication, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication and innovation.
To calculate a country's competitiveness index, these pillars are weighted depending on the stage of development that a country falls into based on GDP per capita and the ratio of mineral exports to total exports. Egypt's classification as an efficiency-driven economy places the bulk of weight on efficiency enhancers.
ECES is a partner institute of WEF in the preparation of the Global Competitiveness Report.
While being a topic of considerable debate, social justice has been generally defined as the ability of citizens to realize their full potential in the society where they live in. There is a variety of approaches for a society to achieve social justice. Whether by reforming policies and institutions like education, health care, safety nets, industrial relations and public services, or by corrective or distributive policies that fight poverty, ensure fair distribution of wealth and guarantee intergenerational equity, societies have economic, social, geographic and political specificities that they need to integrate when designing their social justice policies.In Egypt there is an intense debate on how to identify and prioritize the social justice agenda going forward.
Discussion question: What does other country experience offer Egypt to inform its process of designing and implementing social justice policies?
Applied in more than 150 countries around the world, the value added tax currently accounts for more than 20 percent of global tax revenues. With Egypt suffering a high budget deficit of 14 percent of GDP in 2012/2013 and significant tax arrears estimated at LE 74.5 billion at end-June 2013, introducing this tax in lieu of the sales tax could help the government raise the much-needed funds for improving infrastructure and the quality of public services. However, the success of this tax in Egypt depends on addressing several factors related to design and implementation. Most importantly, the administrative capacity of the tax authority and the private sector, the large informal sector in Egypt, tax incidence and regressivity as well as the expected inflationary impact.
1. Why the VAT in Egypt and how it works?
2. Who are the potential winners and losers?
3. What are the prerequisites for its efficient and equitable implementation in Egypt?
Egypt currently suffers from the prevalence of hesitant economic policymaking, posing a serious constraint on investment and economic growth. This roundtable discussed this phenomenon, its reasons and impact on investment and growth. It also included a review of international experience in this respect. Arabic invitation attached.
The 2013 edition of the Economic Report on Africa suggests that Egypt together with eight other African countries have an opportunity to transform their economies through a commodity-based industrialization strategy that leverages on the continent's abundant resources, current high commodity prices and changing organization of global production process. Such a policy is necessary if the continent is to become a global economic power that can address the challenges of youth unemployment, poverty and gender disparities. Specifically, the report examines key constraints and opportunities for African countries to make the most of their commodities by adding value through linkage development.
With respect to Egypt, the report considers the textile industry of paramount importance to the economy, accounting for 5 percent of total GDP and 26.4 percent of industrial production. It employs more than half a million Egyptians and is a crucial foreign exchange earner. In spite of its superior raw materials, Egypt has been unable to exploit its advantageous position to the best of its capabilities. Egypt needs to direct more investments into weaving and dyeing of local fabrics instead of exporting the raw material, thereby limiting its comparative advantage in the textiles industry. Clearly, there is a need to create a niche market because competition with other countries such as China and Pakistan is difficult due to the huge differences in input and output costs.
With less than 1,000 days remaining until the end of the 2015 target date for achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), this report highlights the need to accelerate efforts to improve the lives of the poor in both rural and urban areas. The theme of Global Monitoring Report (GMR) 2013 is rural-urban disparities in development and ways urbanization can better help achieve the MDGs. The GMR, jointly produced by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is an annual report card on the world's progress toward the MDGs.
Not only is the theme highly relevant for assessing progress within the current MDG framework, but it also has the potential to inform discussions about the post-2015 development framework in which urbanization will be a major factor. The report calls for complementary rural-urban development policies and actions by governments to facilitate a healthy move toward cities without short-changing rural areas. Besides introducing the key findings of the GMR 2013, this roundtable discussion touched on the central challenges facing countries in the MENA region in their progress toward achieving the MDGs. The objective is to help explore the development assistance these countries need in order to accelerate their progress toward attainment of the MDGs.
Unemployment and job creation are among the most important challenges facing policymakers in Egypt today. Official statistics indicate that youth unemployment was 24.8 percent in 2011, which is double the unemployment rate at the national level (12 percent). Specifically, this roundtable aimed to explore ways of increasing investment and job creation. The event also discussed government plans on the short, medium and long runs to increase investment and the rate of job creation. Participants in this event included a high-level group, including government officials, Shura Council members, academia, the media and civil society.
In today's knowledge-based economy, research and development (R&D) is key to driving output and productivity, particularly in R&D-intensive industries like pharmaceuticals. Although to date the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt has been a modest contributor to manufacturing value added (5%), exports (3%) and employment (4%), it has the potentials for further growth, especially from the knowledge perspective. International experience indicates that a 29% growth in India's pharmaceutical firms' R&D expenditure was associated with a 15% growth in industry sales over the period 1995-2007. Today, India is an important player in the global market for generic drugs and active ingredients.
This roundtable discussion highlighted the main findings of ECES research regarding the micro and macro factors behind modest R&D performance in Egypt's pharmaceutical firms. At the micro level, an R&D strategy is evidently lacking, with firms leaning heavily towards development as opposed to basic or applied research. Moreover, there is virtually no collaboration either with other firms or with universities in research. At the macro level, public R&D expenditure remains meager, and the public R&D system lacks good governance. As such, the discussion aimed to draw relevant policy implications for placing Egypt on the new, long-sought growth trajectory.
Social justice requires creating jobs to maximize collective shares in the fruits of economic growth and to increase wages in line with productivity towards achieving higher standards of living for the wider majority of Egyptians. Mobilizing additional demand for labor through increasing the job content of growth, investing in education and training, and increasing efficiency to close the gap between demand and supply in the labor market are top priorities. Within the new economic and social paradigm, it is important to determine how various stakeholders can contribute to achieve the desired goals. While the role of the state as a regulator and facilitator is clear, less clear is the role of the private sector during the transitional era that Egypt is going through. The challenge is how can all parties align their efforts in the short and medium term to avoid the low growth scenario and its potential negative implications.
This roundtable focused on the inclusive growth model and explore ways to achieve social justice via broader participation in production and economic activity. Specifically, it aimed to contribute to ongoing debate about ways of increasing the job content of growth by addressing industrial policies, reforming education and ensuring broader support for SMEs to maximize the shares in growth benefits among various participants in the production process.
Despite the political and social unrest that affected some countries in North Africa, growth remains strong in the rest of Africa. Out of the top-fifteen fastest growing economies in the world today, ten are African. The continent's contribution to world GDP is projected to increase from 2.4 per cent in 2012 to 5.1 per cent in 2034. A fast growing Africa could provide a new driver for consumer demand, a large market and a new engine of global growth. To harness both the productive potential and untapped consumer demand of the continent, Africa will need to enhance productivity and competitiveness through investing in infrastructure, technology, higher education and health, broadening the range of exports and making the necessary investments in productive sectors, enhancing development financing and promoting regional integration and South-South cooperation.
This roundtable discussion introduced the key findings of the Economic Report on Africa 2012 "Unleashing Africa's Potential as a New Pole of Global Growth". On this occasion, the discussion focused on the central challenges African countries must address for the continent to unleash its potential as a pole of global growth. Among other key goals, Africa needs to move towards a unified framework for negotiation and cooperation with emerging as well as old partners that will help African countries maximize gains in terms of trade, FDI, technology transfer, loans and aid, especially from China, Brazil, Korea and Turkey. Addressing this challenge will broaden the scope of integration, both in trade and investments, between Egypt and neighbors in Africa.
Egypt's rankings in institutional quality indices have stagnated or deteriorated over the years. Lack of progress in developing quality institutions has long hampered the economy from achieving its potential, even at times of high growth and private investments. While the focus in the near term is on stabilizing the economy, priorities of structural reforms should be aligned, in parallel, towards easing chronic bottlenecks and positioning the economy on an upward trajectory of growth and competitiveness going forward. On the structural front, it is necessary to address existing impediments towards improving governance and global competitiveness, and reducing the cost of doing business and corruption.
This roundtable discussion focuses on the impact of institutional quality on the business environment in Egypt. The aim is to highlight the impact of long-term rigidity that has long constrained the potential of the economy and the implications of recent developments post the Revolution towards prioritizing the agenda of structural and institutional reforms that would help unlock Egypt's growth potential. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided.
The continuous rise in the cost of living constitutes a serious challenge to most Egyptians, especially those who suffer from deteriorating real income and limited scope to expand opportunities in the context of a growing economy. Further, high inflation has eroded Egypt's export competitiveness in the face of continued appreciation of the real exchange rate of the pound, despite successive waves of nominal depreciation. More recently, the conduct of monetary policy has been challenged by economic slowdown in the aftermath of the January 25 Revolution. Fiscal dominance also poses a serious challenge for the independence of the Central Bank against a backdrop of widening fiscal deficit which could potentially increase inflationary pressures and exert depreciation pressure on the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound. Moreover, excessive domestic financing of the fiscal deficit has increased the cost of borrowing and crowded out private activity. This roundtable discussion discussed the efforts undertaken by the Central Bank to adopt an inflation target regime and highlighted the challenges facing monetary policy at the current juncture.
The Risk Sharing Banking Model: A Prospective Channel For Development in Egypt?
Although the Egyptian banking sector has gone through several waves of reforms in the last two decades, it has yet to play its expected role as a catalyst for economic development. This roundtable discussion explored the viability of growing interest in the risk-sharing banking model as a possible approach to strengthen the currently weak developmental role of the Egyptian banking sector. Building on research findings, the roundtable first presented a new theoretical model comparing the investment process in the risk-sharing and the conventional systems. The presentation then empirically assessed the effect of applying the Islamic system on financial intermediation in a panel of 616 banks from 19 countries over the period 1996-2010. The main theoretical and empirical research findings were discussed, shedding light on the major prospects and challenges inherent in risk-sharing banking as a model for development. Finally, policy recommendations suggested ways to address challenges and capitalize on the potential of risk-sharing banking approach in promoting investment and growth in Egypt.
In recognition of the potential role that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) stand to play in driving Egypt's economic growth, ECES has been conducting collaborative research with the German Development Institute) Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)( on the factors determining the upgrading of SMEs in Egypt. Like in many other developing countries, business activities in Egypt are largely dominated by both "micro to small" and "large" enterprises, thus posing the so-called "missing middle" problem.
This roundtable discussion presented the findings of the research team. The results indicated that many small enterprises find it very difficult to innovate towards growing into the segment of medium size enterprises. Nevertheless, a considerable number of companies was able to go through a process of upgrading even at times of difficulty such as the present environment. Some have even more than doubled in size (by employment criteria) within the last five years. The main factors explaining differences in growth and upgrading are: (i) education, work experience and international experience of the company owner, (ii) access to finance, (iii) investment into human resource development and market research and (iv) efficiency in the application of existing laws such as taxation and licensing.
The roundtable discussion discussed the pros and cons of exchange rate depreciation in Egypt. It considered the import content of Egyptian exports at the aggregate level and for the manufacturing sector in particular. Using data for exports by industry and country of destination over the period 2000-2010, the analysis assessed the impact of fluctuations in the bilateral exchange rate of the Egyptian pound and the real effective exchange rate on export competitiveness in the presence of a high imported intermediate content. The results will reflect on the current debate regarding the need to let the Egyptian pound depreciate to ensure higher export competitiveness and on the downside risks of depreciation on the cost of production and higher inflation. Policy implications were assessed in light of high industrial dependency on imported inputs and the risk of depreciation on the cost of production and loss of competitiveness.
Towards Mobilizing Additional Fiscal Revenues: Progressive or Flat Taxes?
The roundtable discussion attempted to explore options to mobilize additional revenues to improve the state of public finances and reduce the fiscal deficit. The debate has focused recently on the scope to institute progressive taxes. Advocates cite the low income tax rate in Egypt compared to other countries, and the need to introduce higher progressive taxes to achieve social justice and make more resources available for the much-needed social and developmental spending by the government. Opponents are concerned that progressive taxes could hinder the prospect of recovery in a fragile economy, reduce investment, and result in less revenue for the government. The roundtable weighed the merits of both arguments, drawing on Egypt's taxation track record and international experiences in this respect.
Despite high economic growth in Egypt over the past ten years, a large segment of the Egyptian population still lives in poverty, estimated at 40 percent. This roundtable discussion attempts to contribute to the ongoing debate about Egypt's economic challenges post-January 25, 2011, by exploring ways of addressing high poverty, unemployment and income distribution through integrating the informal economy into the mainstream.
The roundtable drew on previous studies conducted by ECES in this respect, which concluded that the poor in Egypt stand to benefit considerably if they opt to convert their dead capital (unregistered assets) into viable economic assets that could serve as collateral to increase their access to credit and their integration in economic activity. The presentation also highlighted the main findings of ECES research regarding informality, both businesses and real estate, the size of which is estimated at 40 percent of economic activity. The discussions also addressed the main barriers that stand in the way of formalization in Egypt as well as the legislations needed to encourage the poor to formalize and utilize their idle capital.
The issue of social justice has taken center stage post the January 25 revolution, where many have argued for the need to establish a minimum wage policy that protects real income from deterioration. Overtime, the minimum wage policy has failed to balance the objectives of employment creation and securing a dignified standard of living for many in Egypt. In the absence of such a coherent approach, increasing the minimum wage could increase unemployment and informality, and heighten inflationary pressures if sectoral and regional disparities were not taken into consideration.
This roundtable discussion analyzed aspects of disparity in wage distribution across sectors and regions, based on productivity and cost of living. Subsequently, the roundtable drew on international experience to offer suggestions that could aid the formulation of a minimum wage policy that achieves social justice, taking into account productivity, employment, industrial policy dynamics and investment across sectors and regions.
The European debt crisis has dominated the economic debate at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos. Many experts have expressed concerns about continued deterioration of economic conditions in Europe, against the backdrop of failure to reach a resolution to the debt crisis in Greece and lingering uncertainty about the impact of further austerity measures on the growth prospects in Europe. Trade with Europe is crucial to growth in many economies, including the US and China.
Closer to home, Europe is the number one trading partner for Egypt, accounting for approximately one third of its total exports and imports, and is deemed a major source of FDI and financial investments for the country. Hence, the prospects of slow recovery in Europe casts further shadow on the recovery of the Egyptian economy, which is already challenged by post-revolutionary political and economic instability.
Views have increasingly converged that fuel subsidies in Egypt are inefficient, inequitable and costly. Estimated at LE 95.5 billion, fuel subsidies in 2011/12 account for 71 percent of total subsidies, 19 percent of total expenditures and 6 percent of GDP. These subsidies benefit mostly energy-intensive industries as well as the richer quantiles who consume more petroleum products. With an overall fiscal deficit of 9.8 percent of GDP in 2010/11 and a projected wider deficit for 2011/12, reforming the current system of fuel subsidies could help the government create the much-needed fiscal space and provide more social support to the most vulnerable groups. Well targeted reform will discourage wasteful fuel consumption and increase Egypt's earnings of foreign currency, capitalizing on a larger scope for oil and gas exports. More importantly, some of the budgetary savings from reducing subsidies could be redirected to programs that better help the poor, including education, healthcare services and cash transfers. Further, reducing wasteful energy consumption could also result in other positive externalities such as protecting the environment and achieving intergenerational equity in light of limited reserves of energy in Egypt.
The Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES) held a roundtable discussion within the framework of the conference on "Stimulating Growth and Investment during Transition," organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) and the Egyptian Junior Business Association (EJB) in collaboration with the Ministry of International Cooperation. Building on its success in lending to SMEs in Eastern Europe, EBRD will be embarking on an ambitious lending program in Egypt, catering to the development and growth of SMEs. To that end, the EBRD seeks to define the best and most innovative way to support the development of SMEs in Egypt as main contributors to employment and growth. Despite significant shares in GDP and employment, the support to SMEs has yet to effectively realize their potential in creating and sustaining inclusive growth. Several constraints hamper SMEs operations and growth, including lack of access to financing, inability to hire formally given rigidity in the labor law, weak complementarity with large upstream and downstream enterprises, lack of institutional support and tough competition amidst monopolistic practices by large investors. These hurdles have become even more compounded post the 25th of January revolution as a result of security failure, frequent strikes and tarnished image of the private sector at large.Participants in this session attempted to address the following questions: 1. How to create a conducive macroeconomic environment for SMEs growth: investment and export strategies, inflation targeting and exchange rate management?2. Which type of industrial policy is needed to help SMEs grow: prioritizing sectors, geographic areas and women participation?3. What institutional support is required to foster the growth of SMEs: tax incentives, production subsidies and strengthened forward linkages?4. Who will extend credit to SMEs: the roles of the central bank, the government, commercial banks, the capital market and international donors?
The agricultural sector plays an important role in Egypt' economy, contributing about 13 percent to gross domestic product (GDP) and employing around 27 percent of the labor force. Despite this importance, the agriculture sector has not been given its due attention over the past several decades, minimizing its contribution towards the achievement of national economic objectives, mainly food security. This objective has been made all the more difficult in light of successive global and domestic developments, causing steep increases in food prices as well as intensifying uncertainty about the future.Limited natural resources such as land and water as well as lower private and public investment in agriculture are among the main challenges precluding the achievement of Egypt's objective of food security. Crop composition is also a concern due to competition for limited resources. This roundtable discussed the state of food security in Egypt, with a view to offering some relevant proposals for agricultural policy in an attempt to contribute to the achievement of this much-sought objective.
This roundtable discussion was part of a series of roundtable discussions that aimed at addressing challenges faced by the Egyptian economy at the transitional phase. The event was orgainzed by ECES in collaboration with IDSC, the UNDP and Cooperazione Italiana.
This roundtable discussion aimed at addressing challenges faced by the Egyptian economy at the transitional phase. The event was orgainzed by ECES in collaboration with IDSC, the UNDP and Cooperazione Italiana.
The overall performance of the Egyptian economy and its ability to mobilize investment and attract foreign direct investment are highly dependent on the country's competitiveness. In that respect, the 2010-2011 Global Competitiveness Report benchmarks Egypt to other countries in the same stage of development and other countries that are more developed, pinpointing both strengths and weaknesses of the economy. Over the last few years, Egypt's competitiveness indicators exhibited weak signals in areas such as macroeconomic stability, education quality, efficiency of labor market and capacity for innovation. However, the Egyptian economy continues to have a clear competitive advantage in market size and infrastructure.
Specifically, this roundtable discussion attempted to: 1. assess Egypt's progress so far and identify specific areas where the country has lagged behind relative to comparators;2. highlight the structural and policy deficiencies that have negatively impacted Egypt's competitiveness; and 3. present specific policy recommendations addressing shortcomings and leading to greater competitiveness.
No sooner had the Egyptian economy started to show signs of recovery from the economic slowdown following the recent global economic crisis than it was hit by the political and social upheaval that broke out on January 25, 2011. Mal-distribution of income, inadequate human development alongside lack of political reforms were among the key factors behind the widespread social discontent.Against this backdrop, this roundtable discussed Egypt's economic priorities in the near and medium terms. Specifically, in the short term the economic agenda should target reforming government spending and the tax system to mobilize additional revenues for the growing social agenda. In the medium-term, the agenda should focus on creating more jobs and supporting productive activity to help vulnerable groups graduate from continued dependency on subsidies and increase income in line with productivity growth.
Egypt weathered the post-Lehman crisis better than many other countries. A strong record of reforms, lower global integration of financial markets, and countercyclical economic policies helped Egypt weather the crisis. Economic growth has resumed since the crisis and while the global outlook is positive, uncertainties are high and the Middle East countries will face stiffer competition from emerging markets in other regions in the coming years. Continuing reforms and preserving macroeconomic stability will be needed to sustain rapid growth of output and provide jobs for the rising number of unemployed youth.Ms. Ratna Sahay, Deputy Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department, of the International Monetary Fund, and Mr. Alan MacArthur, IMF Mission Chief for Egypt, discussed the world and regional economic outlook and the macroeconomic and structural policies to lay the ground for rapid growth in Egypt.
Several major economies are intervening in their currency markets to enhance competitiveness, particularly on the trade side. By causing its currency to depreciate, a country would enhance demand for exports while curbing demand for imports, resulting in improved trade balance. However, if competitive depreciation is the result of persistent quantitative easing in major trading partners, emerging economies could be continuously losing grounds in trade competitiveness. Specifically, low interest rates in advanced economies could result in a surge in "hot capital inflows" to developing countries, increasing appreciation pressures.
The discussion in this roundtable addressed the implications of currency wars for the Egyptian economy, mainly a widening current account deficit and the resulting consequences of inflationary pressures, asset bubbles and high sterilization costs. Policy options to mitigate these threats, including the need to resort to protectionist trade measures and capital controls, were discussed.
The monetary policy framework has progressed since early 2004. Major changes reshaped the strategy of the monetary policy including the ultimate target, the intermediate target and the operational target. Moreover, the implementation framework and the communication strategy have been modernized. This modern framework of monetary policy is facing many challenges.The challenge of relative price shocks has increased in recent years through steep increases in commodity and vegetable prices. These increases were associated with spikes in inflation (quite higher than the implicit target) in 2008 and more recently in 2010. These shocks have not dissipated quickly. They are quite persistent, threatening to raise inflation expectations. The conduct of monetary policy has been complicated by other multiple shocks, including the slowdown in the recovery of the global economy, the volatility of capital flows and its consequences on the exchange rate, and the change in the business sentiment, among other shocks.
How should the central bank respond to the persistent and potentially long lasting relative price shock? Does such shock pose a challenge for the current monetary policy framework? How do multiple shocks complicate the conduct of monetary policy? Given the complexity of the economy, are the conventional instruments already in place enough? These are the key questions addressed by the roundtable discussion.
Trade in Natural Resources: A Blessing or A Curse?
Natural resources, including fuels, are vital to virtually every aspect of human activity, key to countries' comparative advantage and critical to economic growth. Natural resource exports are also important to development in Egypt and other Middle Eastern economies, accounting for some 44 and 70 percent of total exports, respectively. But these exports can also contribute to the exhaustion of resources by accelerating their depletion and may be associated with price volatility; de-industrialization and environmental externalities.
This roundtable discussion reviewed the key findings of the World Trade Report 2010 "Trade in Natural Resources". Specifically, it discussed the appropriate mix of trade and domestic policies such as export taxes and/or quotas; import restrictions; consumption taxes and subsidies that Egypt could employ to ensure a sustainable level of resource extraction that balances the competing needs of present and future generations; hedge against large swings in resource prices; protect the environment; diversify economic activity and increase the scope of Middle East intra-regional trade in natural resources.
This roundtable addressed current challenges facing Egypt, including rapidly increasing population and the resulting pressure on infrastructure such as water and sanitation, transport and traffic, as well as the environment. It also attempted to provide specific proposals to enhance the role of the private sector in facing these challenges under government regulation and supervision.
This roundtable discussion assessed the impact of the global economic crisis on the textiles and ready-made garments sector in Egypt; given its importance to investments, production, exports and employment. The assessment is based on two recent datasets reflecting firms' and workers' views regarding the impact of the crisis on the sector.
This round table discussion addressed the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010. The Report contains a detailed profile for each of the 133 economies featured in the study, providing a comprehensive summary of the overall position in the rankings as well as the most prominent competitive advantages and disadvantages of each country/economy based on the analysis used in computing the rankings.
Over the past five decades, Egypt has experienced remarkable progress in the provision of infrastructure in all areas, including transportation, telecommunications, power generation, and water and sanitation. In the last fifteen years, however, a worrisome trend has emerged: infrastructure investment has suffered a substantial decline. This WB study attempts to analyze the situation, trend and effects of infrastructure in Egypt by placing the Egyptian experience in an international context. The study points out that a developing country like Egypt cannot afford a decline in infrastructure investment, especially that the country has much room to improve before attaining its goals of future economic growth. Taking into account that increasing investment is costly to the government, the report suggests rationalizing public expenditures to release resources for use in enhancing infrastructure services. It also stresses the importance of considering the experience of other countries where stronger participation of the private sector in the provision of infrastructure has led to significant productivity gains.
This roundtable discussed ways of reviving and improving the Waqf (endowment) syste in Egypt, a longtime source of sustainable development in Islamic and Arab societies and a forerunner of what are currently known as civil society organizations. Although once active in areas such as science, education, services and even entertainment, the Waqf system is no longer the way it used to be. Based on an ECES study of the Waqf system, this roundtable aimed to highlight ways of bringing the Waqf system to its past glory in an attempt to make it once again a main pillar of public interest and charity.
This roundtable analyzed key features and problems of the civil service wage system; lessons learned from international experience in this regard; the current wage system from the perspective of civil servants; and strategic issues that need to be addressed to reform the system. After dissecting the structure and composition of the current pay system, reviewing other countries' experiences with pay reform, and conducting structured interviews with a sample of government employees to solicit their views about the adequacy of pay, the authors identified a number of strategic issues and complementary strategies that are critical to resolving the problem. Foremost among the strategic issues were securing the needed extra funding for increased government employees' pay, right-sizing the civil service, enhancing transparency, reducing wage discrepancies, reforming the minimum wage policy and establishing a better link between pay and performance.
Trade integration plays an important role in national development and poverty reduction. This compact and easily accessible interactive database contains 126 indicators measuring at-the-border and behind-the-border trade policy performance and outcome for 210 countries and customs territories. Drawing on internationally comparable databases and including some new measures of trade policy, the database groups country performance around five main pillars: border protection, such as tariffs and non-tariff barriers on goods and services; constraints to market access in the rest of the world; the overall business and institutional environment; trade facilitation; and trade outcomes, such as trade growth, and diversification. For Egypt, the report indicated it had witnessed a large decline in import restrictions since the beginning of this decade, reducing its average MFN tariff from 47 to 17 percent. However, the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa remain the developing regions with the highest average tariffs. The report also indicated that despite global reductions in tariffs and preferential trading arrangements, low income country exporters as a group still face the least favorable market access for their products, as they face average tariffs (3.7 percent) on their exports that are 32 percent higher than that faced by high income country exporters (2.8 percent).
Price Subsidy or Building Capacities in Egypt?
This roundtable discussion attempted to answer the following questions:1. To what extent the current subsidy policy in Egypt achieves economic efficiency and social justice?2. What are the possible alternatives to develop the current subsidy policy?3. And what can be done to enhance the citizens' earning capacity to limit their reliance on subsidy?
This roundtable discussion presented an economic assessment of Egypt's nuclear energy potential and the critical factors behind Egypt's choice of nuclear technology to help secure its future energy needs. Specifically, this roundtable discussed: 1. The economic feasibility of nuclear energy generation in Egypt;2. The critical factors behind the choice of appropriate nuclear technology and conditions for the efficient utilization of nuclear power; and3. General recommendations regarding nuclear plant operation including capital requirements, capacity constraints, operational conditions and performance expectations.
This roundtable discussion addressed the motives for adopting partnership in providing social services in general and educational services in particular; the caveats to be taken into account when allowing the private sector to provide educational services; and whether the partnership helps provide educational services and mitigate budget burdens.
The Roundtable discussion attempted to answer the following questions:1. Does Egypt's industrial policy encourage enterprises to protect the environment or discourage them from damaging it? 2. Is Egypt's industrial policy consistent with its environmental policies? 3. Do the recent policy changes improve or worsen the situation?
With the stall of negotiations under the WTO Doha Development Agenda (DDA), many countries have been pursuing bilateral and regional preferential trade arrangements in the area of trade in services. In the context of these arrangements and the Association Agreement between Egypt and the EU, this roundtable discussion explored the one specific area of trade in services of particular interest to Egypt: the liberalization of services' delivery through the temporary presence of natural persons, or what is known as 'Mode 4' under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).
This roundtable discussion aimed to identify what is meant by corporate social responsibility; factors that encourage local firms to design and implement social responsibility programs; the impact of corporate social responsibility programs on SMEs; and key local and international experiences in this regard.
The roundtable discussion addressed the following issues:1. The role of interest rate and bank reserves in monetary policy. 2. The effect of monetary policy shocks on real output. 3. Measuring the monetary policy stance.4. The effect of alternative monetary policy rules on output, inflation and interest rate variability.
The speaker discussed the economic reform experience of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union (EE/FSU) and its relevance to the Arab countries. Following a discussion of the similarities and differences between Arab and Soviet type socialism, the speaker highlighted the various aspects of transition in EE/FSU in order to draw relevant lessons for Egypt and other countries in transition.
This roundtable discussion analyzed the real estate draft law and basic features of the current law in order to offer proposals in light of the current situation in the real-estate market in Egypt.
East Asia is a region that has transformed itself since the financial crisis of the 1990s by creating more competitive and innovative economies. But according to a World Bank report entitled "An East Asian Renaissance: Ideas for Growth," Asia needs now to turn to the urgent domestic challenges of inequality, social cohesion, corruption and environmental degradation that have accompanied its success. This roundtable discussed the results of this report in order to highlight ideas that could be useful in the Egyptian context.
This roundtable discussion aimed to identify how the world trade system affects poverty stances and human resources development in the WTO member countries, particularly the developing countries; and features of a domestic trade system consistent with the world trade system, and its impact on the stances of poverty and human developments.
This roundtable discussed the various aspects of parallel administrative structures and their effectiveness in developing the state's administrative authority. It particularly attempted to identify the causes of expansion of parallel structures; how effective, efficient and sustainable these structures are; and alternatives for developing the administrative authority.
This roundtable discussion presented the results of a survey conducted by ECES of banks and firms regarding the credit market in Egypt. Specifically, it attempted to answer the following questions: 1. What is the extent of the slowdown of credit to the private sector?2. Why have banks been reluctant to provide finance?3. What can be done to improve private sector's access to credit?
This roundtable discussion examined the effects, challenges and potentials facing MENA countries, with a focus on Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco. It addressed the impact of eliminating the quota system on the share of these countries in world exports; whether Egypt and countries in the region are capable of competing after removal of the quota system; and short-term procedures that could enhance international exchange benefitting from this elimination.
This roundtable discussed issues that need to be taken into account in setting a minimum wage policy as well as available alternatives in light of international experience to design and apply effective minimum wage policy.
This roundtable discussed the latest trends worldwide with respect to air transport; the impact of liberalizing this sector on tourism; and proposed alternatives to improve the sector in Egypt.
This roundtable discussion attempted to answer the following questions: 1- To what extent does the current subsidy policy achieve the two objectives of efficiency and equity? 2- What are the possible alternatives to achieve these objectives more effectively in light of international experience?3- And what are the alternatives most appropriate for Egypt?
The roundtable discussion addressed the following questions: 1. What is the EU neighborhood policy all about?2. What is the rationale behind the shift to this new policy? 3. And what are the implications for Egypt?
This roundtable discussion addressed various institutional alternatives for reformulating the role of the state in the economy in a way that is consistent with the philosophy of free market, taking the social considerations into account. Specifically, this seminar addressed the motivations for revisiting the role of the state in economic activity under a free market; country experiences in formulating a new role appropriate for market mechanisms; and features of the proposed institutional framework for Egypt.
This roundtable discussed the need for improving the bankruptcy system in Egypt; other country experiences in this respect; and proposals for improving the system in Egypt.
The roundtable discussion aimed to identify whether there is a contradiction between trade liberalization and maintaining government revenues; the potential impact of applying different trade liberalization methods on government revenues; and the optimal method to reconcile the objectives of trade liberalization and maintaining revenues.
This roundtable discussion attempted to identify the potential impact of EU enlargement on Egyptian exports and Egyptian labor immigration to the EU and whether the accession of Eastern European countries to the EU would lead to a reduction in FDI flows to Egypt.
This roundtable discussion addressed the following questions: 1. Is it time for Egypt to have a competition policy law? 2. Does the draft law balance the interests of both consumers and producers? 3. What can be done to maximize the benefits from the draft law?
The roundtable discussion addressed the motivation for amending the Investment Guarantees and Incentives Law; the extent to which the draft amendments achieve their objectives; and key proposals to maximize the benefit from the draft amendments.
This seminar addressed the current pension system in Egypt; reasons for its current performance; and proposals for improving the system in Egypt.
This roundtable discussion addressed the new rules reshaping the future of world trade in textile and clothing; the expected impact of these rules on Egypt's textile and clothing exports; and the required reforms to maximize the benefits from these rules.
This roundtable discussion addressed management of exchange rate liberalization in Pakistan; the contrast between the experiences of Pakistan and Egypt; and the recommended course of action for Egypt.
This seminar discussed the tourism sector fluctuations and their causes aiming to provide a set of proposals to limit the impact of these fluctuations on the Egyptian economy.
This roundtable discussion focused on the draft World Development Report for 2004, which aimed to make services accessible for the poor. Topics addressed are: 1- Why high growth and public expenditures are insufficient to make services reach the poor; 2- some innovative approaches to address this problem; and 3- the report's implications for Egypt.
This roundtable discussion attempted to identify key problems in dealing with the customs administration in Egypt, and how to render customs administration more efficient and effective.
This roundtable discussion aimed to identify the nature of the new monetary policy approach in Egypt; the availability of monetary policy tools; the institutional framework required to achieve this approach; and how to coordinate between the monetary and fiscal policies in the framework of macroeconomic management.
This roundtable discussion addressed the importance of securitization for the Egyptian economy; availability of requirements for applying this mechanism in Egypt; and proposals to ensure an efficient securitization system.
This roundtable discussion addressed the draft export law, how to ensure efficient enforcement of the law, and proposals to promote exports.
This roundtable discussion aimed to identify ways that WTO rules could better reflect development priorities, and identify needed research in policy areas of relevance to the 2003 Ministerial. The roundtable set the stage for subsequently organizing a targeted program of research that would provide developing countries with timely information upon which they can formulate a more effective negotiating position.
This roundtable discussion aimed to identify the benefits of banks merger and acquisition; necessary requirements for implementation in Egypt; and appropriate proposals for banks position in Egypt.
This seminar attempted to identify the extent to which the draft law helps improve labor market efficiency; whether the new law meets the interests of different parties; and recommendations to improve the draft law.


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We arrived into Delhi at about mid night on the start of our journey to meet the team from National Meditek and Indian sheep farmers. It was in Hamirpur where we met officials from the Government Research Farm, who had come to view the demonstration. One of the highlights of Hamirpur what the marvellous hospitality shown to Hamish and I from not just the Surendra & Vaibhav Bhatia but all the people we met with on our trip. This was such a very important part of the trip meeting and understanding how people live.
What a brilliant trip we had, how well organised, the entire trip was planned with complete detail and of course the people we met and all of this has had a lasting impression on us. Of course, the business was very positive.
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text:
Vol 12, No 1 (2017) /
Spatial analysis of the regional variation of reproductive tract infections and spousal migration correlates in Nepal
https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2017.513
Derek C. Johnson Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States.
Pema Lhaki Nepal Fertility Care Center International, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Charlotte Buehler Cherry Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, United States.
Mirjam-Colette Kempf School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL; Department of Health Behavior, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, United States.
Eric Chamot Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States.
Sten H. Vermund Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN; Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States.
Sadeep Shrestha | sshrestha@uab.edu	Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States.
Nepal has a diverse geographic landscape that could potentially create clustered subpopulations with regional socio-cultures that could result in differential health outcomes. With an alarming rise in married male populations migrating for work, it is possible that these migrants are engaged in risky sexual behaviour, putting their wives at risk for infectious disease outcomes, including reproductive tract infections (RTI), when they return home. The prevalence of male migration varies by geographic region in Nepal and this variation could potentially contribute to different RTI rates. Using a cross-sectional dataset (the 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey) including 9607 married women, we investigated geospatial and socio-cultural factors associated with the symptoms of RTIs with a focus on the husbands' migration status. Choropleth maps were created to illustrate areas with high percentages of RTIs that correlated with migration patterns. Overall, 31.9% of the husbands were migrating for work. After adjusting for wealth, contraception use, age at first marriage, urban/rural status and husband's education, women whose husbands had been absent for a year or more in Nepal's Mid-West region (OR 1.93 95%, CI 1.02-3.67) or Far-West region (OR 2.89 95%, CI 1.24-6.73) were more likely to report RTI-like symptoms than others. Our results suggest a potential association between husbands' migration status and Nepali women reporting RTI symptoms by geographic regions. However, further research is needed to put this outcome on a stronger footing with respect to this under-studied population, specifically in the context of geographical variation.
Sadeep Shrestha, Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology
Reproductive tract infection, Sexually transmitted infection, Migration, Demography, Nepal
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Johnson, D., Lhaki, P., Buehler Cherry, C., Kempf, M.-C., Chamot, E., Vermund, S., & Shrestha, S. (2017). Spatial analysis of the regional variation of reproductive tract infections and spousal migration correlates in Nepal. Geospatial Health, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2017.513
Copyright (c) 2017 Derek C Johnson, Pema Lhaki, Charlotte Buehler Cherry, Mirjam Colette Kempf, Sten H Vermund, Sadeep Shrestha
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Philadelphia partner Antonio Pozos will be a panelist for "Obstacles, Innovation & Disruption in Health Care Law" at the 2018 Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) Annual Convention on September 7, 2018. Other panelists will include Karen Davila, senior associate general counsel for Walmart; William Rivera, senior vice president of litigation for the AARP Foundation; Jacqueline Romero, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and Sidley Austin associate Wandaly Fernandez as the moderator.
Panelists will address the latest legal trends in the health care industry and what these recent developments mean for a variety of stakeholders.
Learn more about the HNBA Annual Convention.