Ragui Assaad

Ragui Assaad is a Professor at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, specializing in international economic development and labor market analysis, particularly focusing on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). He holds the Freeman Chair in International Economic Policy and is a Research Fellow at the Economic Research Forum (Cairo) and the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA, Bonn).

Education: PhD in City & Regional Planning (Cornell University, 1991), BS and MS in Physics and Mechanical Engineering (Stanford University, 1981).

Research interests include inequality of opportunity in education and labor markets, youth unemployment dynamics, migration effects, and gender dimensions of labor. His recent work examines labor market recovery post-pandemic in MENA,叙利亚难民对约旦教育的影响, and ICT job potential in Egypt.

Publications span topics like labor market dynamics, gender norms shaping education outcomes, and policy analyses for Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. He has advised international organizations such as the World Bank, ILO, and UNDP.

Key contributions include studies on employment in Sudan during political upheaval and pandemic impacts, as well as formalization challenges for firms in Egypt. His research often bridges quantitative methods with policy-relevant insights.