Rabah Arezki

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Bio

Rabah Arezki is a nonresident senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs. He is a director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and a senior fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. In addition, Arezki is a research fellow with the Economic Research Forum based in Cairo.

Previously, Arezki was chief economist and vice president for the Economic Governance and Knowledge Management complex at the African Development Bank. He also served as chief economist for the Middle East and North Africa region at the World Bank, chief of the Commodities unit within the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund, and a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution, among many other positions and affiliations.

Arezki has authored and co-authored numerous academic journal articles and other publications for different outlets including the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Economic Journal, the European Economic Review, the Journal of International Economics, the Journal of Development Economics and Economic Policy. He has co-edited and co-authored several books, including Coping with the Climate Crisis: Mitigation Policies and Global Coordination (Columbia University Press, 2018), Shifting Commodity Markets in a Globalized World (IMF, 2017) and Rethinking the Macroeconomics of Resource Rich Countries (CEPR, 2018) and Shaping Africa Post-Covid Recovery ( CEPR Press 2021)).

Arezki’s research has been cited in academic circles and prominent media outlets, including the Economist, the Financial Times, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Arezki is also a frequent contributor to Project Syndicate, Foreign Policy, Le Monde, VoxEU, Finance and Development, and Jeune Afrique. In addition, he was the Editor of the IMF Research Bulletin. He is an associate editor of the Revue d’Economie du Développement.

Research Areas

  • Development Economics
  • International Macroeconomics
  • Energy and Commodities
  • Economic policy

Countries of Focus

  • Middle East
  • Africa

Other Areas of Interest

  • Governance
  • Development Finance
  • Geopolitics

Education

  • Ph.D., Economics, European University Institute in Florence, Italy, 2006.
  • M.S., Statistics and Economics, Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Administration Economique (ENSAE), France, 2003.

Articles

Experts from the ME Council and its network analyze the potential impacts of central bank digital currencies on MENA economies and the future of money globally.
Nader S. Kabbani, Tarik M. Yousef, Ahmet F. Aysan, Nasser Saidi, Rabah Arezki, June Park
Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s resounding victory in Senegal's presidential election gives him strong mandate to pursue measures against corruption and in favor of economic inclusion. But before he can deliver on these campaign promises, he first must shore up the country's democratic institutions and system.
Rabah Arezki
The shocking and unprecedented attack by Hamas on southern Israel caught the technologically advanced Israeli army and security forces by surprise. Hamas’s initial assault killed more than 1,400 Israelis, and thousands of Palestinians have been killed as Israel has retaliated in Gaza.
Rabah Arezki
With its Vision 2030 plan, Saudi Arabia is attempting to move away from economic dependence on hydrocarbons. Given the vast resources that the kingdom is deploying, the enthusiasm shown by young Saudis, and the speed at which reforms are moving forward, the strategy could ultimately benefit the entire Middle East.
Tarik M. Yousef, Rabah Arezki