Prof. Sami[Sami H. Miaari] Miaari

I am an Associate Professor of Economics in the Department of Labor Studies at Tel Aviv University. I hold a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics (2000), an M.A. with honors in Economics (2003), and a Ph.D. in Economics (2008), all from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. My doctoral research focused on the labor market costs of conflict— a theme that has continued to shape my academic and policy-oriented work.

Over the years, I have held visiting and research appointments at leading international institutions. These include serving as the Henry Hart Rice Visiting Associate Professor at Yale University (2024–2025), a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University (2017-2019), and a postdoctoral fellow at the European University Institute (2008-2009). I have also been affiliated with research institutes such as DIW Berlin, the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), the Economic Research Forum (ERF), and the Global Young Academy.

In parallel with my academic career, I have been actively engaged in applied policy work and public service. I have served as a consultant to the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, USAID, DFID, and the Bank of Israel, advising on issues related to conflict, labor markets, inequality, and economic development. Since 2012, I have been the founder and chairman of the Arab Economic Forum, an institute dedicated to economic and social research, strategic planning, and policy advocacy for the Arab community in Israel. I currently serve as a board member of Meuhedet Health Services and as a member of Israel’s public advisory committee on the Consumer Price Index.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5022-1130

Education:

• Doctor of Economics, Hebrew University, 2008 (advisor: Prof. Eitan Shashinsky)
• MA with honours in Economics, Hebrew University, 2003
• BA in Economics and Mathematics, Hebrew University, 2000
• Training Certificates: Directors and Functionaries, Tel Aviv University, Lahav, 2020. Writing Business Plans, Israel Directors’ Association, 2020. Analyzing Financial Reports and Companies’ Worth, 2020. Practical Economist, 2021. Data Scientist and Machine Learning, 2021.

Current Activities:

1. Associate Professor of Economics, Tel Aviv University, 2023.
2. Chairman (founder), the Arab Economic Forum – an Institute for Economic-Social Research and Strategic Planning, 2024.
3. Member of the public advisory committee on the consumer price index, Israel, 2022.
4. Advisory Board Member, NGT HealthCare, 2021.
5. Board member of "United Sick Fund - Meuchedet". Israel, 2021.
6. Research Fellow, Economic Research Forum (ERF), 2019.
7. Senior Research Fellow, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Germany, 2018.
8. Senior Research Fellow, ISDC – International Security and Development Center, Berlin, 2015.

My research lies at the intersection of labor economics, political economy, and the economics of conflict, with a particular emphasis on how violent conflict, political instability, and structural inequality shape individual and household-level outcomes. Substantively, my work examines employment, wages, education, fertility, health, and political attitudes in conflict-affected and ethnically divided societies, with a strong focus on Israel/Palestine and comparative minority contexts.

A central pillar of my research agenda is the use of rigorous causal inference methods. I employ natural experiments, administrative data, and quasi-experimental designs to uncover the mechanisms through which conflict and public policy influence economic behavior. My work has contributed to academic and policy debates on labor market discrimination, mobility restrictions, trade and conflict, gender and ethnic wage gaps, educational attainment under violence, and the political economy of radicalization.

My research has been published in leading international journals, including the Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of the European Economic Association, Journal of Human Resources, Labour Economics, Journal of Development Studies, International Labour Review, Acta Politica, and Climate Change Economics, among others. Beyond academic journals, I have authored and co-edited scholarly volumes and policy reports aimed at translating empirical findings into actionable insights for policymakers, international organizations, and civil society.

In recent years, my work has expanded to include applied research on financial inclusion, fintech, and financial education among youth and elderly populations in minority communities, as well as studies on healthcare workforce inequality and public service delivery. Across all these areas, my research aims to inform the design of evidence-based policies in settings marked by inequality, fragility, and political conflict.

1. The Labor Market Costs of Conflict: Closures, Foreign Workers, and Palestinian Employment and Earnings. (2011). (with Robert Sauer), Review of Economics of the Household,  9(1), pp.129-148. DOI: 10.1007/s11150-009-9081-6.
2. The Struggle for Palestinian Hearts and Minds: Violence and Public Opinion in the Second Intifada. (2012). (with David Jaeger, Esteban Klor, and Daniele Paserman), Journal of Public Economics, 96(3-4), pp. 354-368. Select Media Coverage: The Washington Post. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2011.12.001.
3. Can Militants Use Violence to Win Public Support? Evidence from the Second Intifada. (2014). (with David Jaeger, Esteban Klor, and Daniele Paserman).  Journal of Conflict Resolution. 59(3), Pages 528-549. DOI: 10.1177/0022002713516843.
4. Employment Restrictions and Political Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. (2014). (with Asaf Zussman and Noam Zussman). Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. 101, Pages 24–44. DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2014.02.002.
5. The labor market impact of mobility restrictions: Evidence from the West Bank. (2018). (with Massimiliano Calì). Labour Economics. Volume 51,  Pages 136-151. DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2017.12.005.
6. Learning the hard way: The effect of violent conflict on student academic achievement.  (2019). (With Tilman Brauk and Michele Di Maio).  Journal of the European Economic Association, Volume 17, Issue 5, Pages 1502–1537. DOI: 10.1093/jeea/jvy051.
7. How civilian attitudes respond to the state's violence: Lessons from the Israel-Gaza conflict. (2023).  (Amit Loewenthal and Alexei Abrahams,) Conflict Management and Peace Science. 40(4), 441-463. DOI: 10.1177/07388942221097325.
8. Obstacles to Labour Market Participation among Arab Women in Israel .(2023).  (with Nabil Khattab and Maha Sabbah). International Labour Review. Volume162, Issue4, Pages 587-614. DOI: 10.1111/ilr.12386.
9. Aid and radicalization: the case of Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza”. (2023).  (with Amit Loewenthal and Anke Hoeffler). Journal of Development studies. 59:8, 1187-1212. DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2023.2197546.
10. Obstacles on the Road to School: The Impacts of Mobility Restrictions on Educational Performance. (2024). (with Ines Lee), Journal of Human Resources. Vol. 58(6).  DOI: 10.3368/jhr.0920-11166R2.
11.  Exports, employment and conflict: Evidence from the Second Intifada. (2024). (with Massimiliano Calì).  * Winner, 2016, Middle East Economic Association Prize; “Best Paper Award” for the best paper presented at any of MEEA conferences between January 2016 and January 2017. Journal of Conflict Resolution. 69(4), 673-700. DOI: 10.1177/00220027241261665.
12. Socioeconomic Marginalization and Political Preferences: Evidence from Palestinian Arabs in Israel. (2025).  (with Amit Loewenthal and Wifag Adnan). Acta Politica Journal. 60, 572–593. DOI: 10.1057/s41269-024-00341-x.
13. Arab Representation in Israeli Healthcare Professions: Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities. (2025).  (With Bruce Rosen). Israel Journal of Health Policy Research. 14, 7. DOI: 10.1186/s13584-024-00663-3.
14. Climate Shocks and Child Labor: Evidence from Palestine. (2026). (with Yousef Daas and Sameh Halaq). Climate Change Economics. (forthcoming). DOI: 10.1142/S2010007825500174
15. Early Retirement Under Gender Marginalization and Ethnic Segregation: The Case of Arab-Palestinian Women in Israel. (2026). Hawwa. (with Maha Sabbah and Amalia Saar). (forthcoming).
16. How do the incomes of Israeli Arab physicians compare with those of Israeli Jewish physicians?. (2026).  (With Bruce Rosen). Israel Journal of Health Policy Research. (forthcoming).
17. Barriers and Opportunities: Disability and Labor Market Inclusion in Palestine. (2026).  (with Yousef Daas). Journal of Social and Economic Development. (forthcoming).
18.