Middle East & Africa – Knowledge@Wharton: Recent Episodes
Knowledge@Wharton is the online business analysis journal of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
African nations are working to strengthen their economies by reducing dependence on foreign direct investment and aid, yet access to capital and financing remains a huge barrier for home-grown entrepreneurs.
Research by Wharton’s Valentina Assenova shows that disadvantaged entrepreneurs can grow their companies significantly in terms of revenue and employment by working with incubators.
Mohan Valrani, cofounder of the Al Shirawi Group, one of the largest private conglomerates in the UAE, looks back on his career and shares the lessons he feels matter most.
The potential gains for the start-ups driving fintech are obvious. But the possibilities for extending financial services to the under-served are already being realized and can be extended further, notes this opinion piece.
Zvi Eckstein, dean of the Tiomkin School of Economics at IDC Herzliya and a visiting professor at Wharton, shares his insights on what lies ahead for the Israeli economy.
U.S. enforcement authorities are increasingly targeting corrupt practices among Chinese companies in Africa. Four trends are worth watching, notes this opinion piece.
Resilience, passion, flexibility, focus, trust and people skills are as important as a winning idea in a successful startup, say experts from tGELF and the MiSK Foundation.
Ranking judo champion Peter Paltchik exemplifies what it means to overcome adversity and push beyond limits – a lesson that is inspiring to business leaders as well as athletes.
World Bicycle Relief, a nonprofit organization that builds and distributes bicycles in rural areas of the developing world, is the 2019 winner of the Lipman Prize.
Summertime gasoline price increases are normal, but today's oil markets are undergoing fundamental change, according to experts.
With alternate energy sources gaining traction, the region’s future rests on the quality of its human capital, says Navin Valrani, CEO of Arcadia Education.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi wants to become a global platform that brings together people from various age groups and walks of life, says Saif Saeed Ghobash, Abu Dhabi's undersecretary at the department of culture and tourism.
Entrepreneur Mpho Sekwele discusses how her background and years in the retail sector have influenced the way she runs her startup ventures.
Experts explain how worldwide coffee production is threatened by climate change and what the industry is doing about it.
A new book by Wall Street Journal reporters Bradley Hope and Tom Wright details the lavish life of Malaysian financier Jho Low, mastermind of the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund scandal.
Blockchain can bring big social benefits to emerging economies -- but it has limitations, note experts at a Wharton forum.
From cybersecurity to a traffic-busting app to growth-disorder treatments, Israel’s innovations enrich the world, according to participants at a recent Wharton conference.
Opportunity International believes that empowering entrepreneurs and educating children can help break the poverty cycle. Fintech is a great enabler towards this goal, notes the group's executive director.
American Homebuilders of West Africa builds homes for locals while giving foreign investors a robust return.
President Erdogan must forsake populist policies and accept outside help to readjust the economy, even if this is politically unpalatable, Wharton experts say.
Nonprofit myAgro's novel financing model is transforming the way African farmers pay for their harvests.
Resistance from Europe, China and affected businesses could undercut U.S. actions against Iran.
A strong aviation industry can boost African economies, but entrenched interests and other hurdles must be removed, say the authors of 'Fly Africa.'
In his recent book, Steve Wallace chronicles his journey to create a gourmet chocolate company in Ghana.
Few military leaders hold as much allure for historians as Hannibal. Archaeologist Patrick N. Hunt writes in his new book that much of his success came from strong finances.
Iran’s embattled government may respond to recent protests with populist measures -- but those will not necessarily create more jobs, experts say.
As customers opt for convenience, the number of bank branches could decline by 50% to 75%, say BankMobile co-founders Jay Sidhu and Luvleen Sidhu.
The Arab economies are overly reliant on oil and need to diversify, while Trump’s Jerusalem move is a needless irritant, say experts from Wharton and Johns Hopkins.
In order to take advantage of Africa’s rapidly growing market for pharmaceuticals, global players must focus on the unique characteristics of African health care systems that can drive scale.
Shimon Peres's son, Chemi, discusses his father's memoir, notably his vision for peace in the Middle East.
New Wharton research looks at why kerosene is used widely in countries with undeveloped electricity grids – and why innovative alternatives aren’t gaining traction.
When crude prices were high, Israel’s Leviathan natural gas field had everything going for it. Now, it needs a market.
A nonprofit is planning to use the blockchain to fight corruption and remedy pollution in the Niger Delta. Will it work?
Israel is famous for its tech prowess. China has deep pockets and is a tech innovator in areas like financial payments. Is there a match in the making?
Hopes have receded for a steady recovery of South Africa’s fragile economy with the downgrade earlier this month of the country’s credit rating to junk status.
This week’s referendum in Turkey has implications not only for how the country will be governed, but also for its economy, its efforts to join the European Union and its future role in the Middle East.
Credit card reforms in Israel promise to open up the market to new entrants to boost competition and benefit consumers. But will they work?
Recent Wharton research takes a closer look at the trade-offs between how open nations should be to accepting migrant workers and the rights they should be afforded.
Neurosurgeon Teddy Totimeh, a 2016 Eisenhower Fellow, seeks to build a private acute care center in Ghana to improve his country’s state of critical care.
Kenya has a housing shortfall of some 200,000 units a year. Okomboli Ong’ong’a, an Eisenhower fellow, is creating a business model to help plug the gap.
Leading Ladies' Network, founded by Eisenhower Fellow Yawa Hansen-Quao, aims to raise a new generation of female African leaders.
Gulf region countries could create greater prosperity by changing global perceptions -- and misperceptions -- about their national brands, experts say.
Moelis & Co. beat some Wall Street titans to land a coveted advisory role to the huge Aramco IPO.
Though temporary, the Trump administration's immigration ban could undermine the long-term reputation of the U.S. as a reliable place to do business.
Companies and governments cannot afford to ignore the rising clout of the rural consumer, argues author and marketing professor Vijay Mahajan in his new book.
Two major Indian IT firms have set up women-only workplaces in Saudi Arabia. Will the initiative to empower women succeed?
Young job seekers in the Middle East say they want to work at startups. But according to a new study, they prefer the security of working for government or a large firm.
OPEC'S production cuts may boost oil prices a bit more. But higher prices would quickly bring idle U.S. shale production back online, limiting future price gains.
The Eastern Mediterranean International School in Israel is trying to nurture peace through education and inter-cultural understanding.
Royal Dutch Shell and Boeing are just two companies that have ventured into Iran’s market following the partial removal of sanctions against the country. But nearly a year after so-called “Implementation Day,” is Iran any better off than it was?