Dr. Rabeh Morrar is research associate at the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute-MAS. He was assistant professor of Economics, at An-Najah National University and a senior researcher at the Centre of International Development at Northumbria University, UK. He holds a Ph.D. in Innovation Economy from Lille 1 University for Science and Technology, Lille, France, and his research interests include Knowledge Economy, Innovation Economy, and International Development. He is a Fellow of the Economic Research Forum (ERF), Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS), Turkish Economic Research Forum, American Economic Association (AEA), and Middle East Economic Association (MEEA).
Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of the
Palestinian economy, employing many youth and women who are already economically
marginalized, are among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and government
measures to contain its spread