Research

Use of force

I had the privilege of being involved in several peacebuilding and war-reparation programs, including the Gulf War, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and the Ukrainian War, among others.

I am wary about the ‘use of force’ concept as a successful tool of policy. Still, the recent conflicts in Ukraine, Palestine or Sahel are forcing policymakers to ask questions:
- What moral compass help recognize right or wrong?
- How to stand on principles or accept moral trade-offs? (“How flexible is my moral code?”)
- How to distinguishing moral from nonmoral approaches?
- Does the end justify the means?
- Can the concept of ‘just’ war and the use of force help navigate through the modern wars?

Distributive justice and global poverty

How can we close the profound gulf that separates the world’s affluent from those who live in extreme poverty? In the face of conflict, how can the most vulnerable populations achieve economic justice?

To examine these ethical dilemmas, I have led extensive fieldwork in several conflict-affected zones, including Iraq, the Central African Republic, the West Bank/Gaza, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Somalia, Ukraine (Crimea), Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province), Lebanon, among others.

For instance, between 2005 and 2012, I advised the Palestinian Authority’s Negotiations Support Unit on how to set up a transitional justice framework for losses suffered by Palestinian refugees. Following that, I was a lead advisor in setting up the Recovery and Peacebuilding Plan in the Central African Republic, providing support to implement a coordinated approach in different areas such as justice, security, and governance.

Ethical leadership across cultures

I am interested in exploring the impact of different cultures on the use of ethical standards and values. For instance, which are the moral frameworks in play when we make decisions about climate change? Does this depend on whether you view it from a developed or developing country?

In many settings, we do not even notice when these questions arise. We assume that the relevant values are so widely shared and similarly interpreted that the answer should be obvious to everyone. Nevertheless, the values discussion is not trivial, and it comes down to the question of which moral lens to use for proposing bold climate change policies and dealing with the intergenerational issue.

Business ethics, fairness and efficiency in markets

How should goods such as income, wealth, power, and opportunities be distributed? What social, economic, and political institutions (e.g. the market, private property, the welfare state) are needed to achieve a just distribution and fair access to markets?

I have carried out wide-ranging fieldwork to collect data on social exclusion in developing countries. This helps improve the lives of vulnerable populations by designing, testing, and enabling better policy.

For instance, in Tunisia, I led a research team of 40+ surveyors to gather empirical evidence on the nature of financial exclusion. This research informed the creation of a set of financial inclusion policies.