Marwa Ibrahim

I am an Economist at the International Monetary Fund, specializing in development economics with a focus on social protection, labor markets, and migration. I hold a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where my research examined the dynamics of poverty, mobility, and policy design in low-income contexts.

My work contributes to understanding how social protection programs influence human capital, labor outcomes, and political economy dynamics in developing economies. I have collaborated with the Transfer Project on large-scale impact evaluations across Africa and co-authored a chapter in the Handbook on Social Protection and Social Development in the Global South.

Research Areas

• Migration and Labor: I analyze experimental data from Malawi’s national cash transfer program to study youth migration, labor market participation, and reservation wage formation.

• Political Economy: My research explores the political determinants of social protection, including evidence on political targeting in Peru’s national cash transfer program.

• Global Development Policy: My broader work examines the intersection of climate change, livelihoods, and social policy in Africa, as well as the effects of affordable healthcare on labor markets in the United States.