doi:https://doi.org/10.1596/41790

Person:
Alam, Muneeza Mehmood

Last updated: July 18, 2024

Biography

Muneeza Mehmood Alam is a senior transport economist in the MENA Transport Unit of the World Bank. Muneeza joined the World Bank in 2015, bringing more than 15 years’ experience working on development issues. During her time at the World Bank, Muneeza has worked on diverse topics relating to transport and economic policy, particularly eco- nomic corridors and regional connectivity, railways, logistics, urban trans- port, gender and spatial inclusion, and electric mobility. She has a keen interest in understanding the mechanisms through which the economic and social benefits of transport investments can be maximized and more equitably distributed. Muneeza has previously worked in the global as well as the South Asia transport units of the World Bank. Before joining the World Bank, she worked in economic consulting. She holds a PhD in economics from Yale University.

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

Ten Thousand Steps in Her Shoes: The Role of Public Transport in Women’s Economic Empowerment
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-27) Alam, Muneeza Mehmood; Bagnoli, Lisa
Women around the world face numerous mobility challenges. Public transport can provide many economic benefits that should be enjoyed equally by all users, regardless of gender or life circumstances. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, women have a higher university enrollment rate than men, yet their labor force participation rate remains low and stagnant. What is preventing them from translating their educational achievements into economic productivity? Is it a matter of personal preference or structural barriers, or is it both? Although public transport systems can play a significant role in women’s participation in the labor force globally, this topic has been little explored in the MENA region. “Ten Thousand Steps in Her Shoes: The Role of Public Transport in Women’s Economic Empowerment” examines the role of public transport in women’s access to economic opportunities in urban MENA. The book studies the links among mobility, gender, and access to economic opportunities and focuses on three metropolitan areas—Amman, Jordan; Beirut, Lebanon; and Cairo, the Arab Republic of Egypt. Chapters focus on the availability of public transport close to households and employment centers, accessibility to job opportunities, affordability, social and cultural norms, and safety from crime and harassment. Data collected in 2022 reveal that a significant percentage of non-working women in urban MENA lack affordable, comfortable, safe, time-efficient, and reliable transport options, thus preventing them from seeking work. Women can contribute significantly to the economy. Improving public transport and tailoring it to the needs of various communities can help women be economically active. In addition, providing flexible work arrangements that support balancing personal, family, and work lives; protecting women from gender-based discrimination; and offering high-quality childcare options near where people work or live are key. However, gender equity in transport use can be only partially accomplished through well-intentioned policy interventions. Public awareness and endorsement of the benefits of greater gender equality—within households, workplaces, and society at large—are also crucial to advancing women’s participation in the economy. The analysis and recommendations presented in this report will help policy makers in Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt design concrete actions, improve women’s mobility through public transport, and create an enabling environment to increase female economic participation.
The ABCs of the Role of Public Transport in Women’s Economic Empowerment
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-04-13) Alam, Muneeza Mehmood; Bagnoli, Lisa; Kerzhner, Tamara
There is increasing recognition that deficiencies in the public transport system impact men and women differently. While transport systems have been shown to play a significant role in women’s participation in the labor force globally, this topic has been little explored in the Middle East and North Africa. This paper examines the effect of the spatial accessibility, availability, and safety of public transportation on women’s labor market outcomes in three capital cities in the Middle East and North Africa—Amman in Jordan, Beirut in Lebanon, and Cairo in the Arab Republic of Egypt. The analysis uses three types of data collected for each city in 2022, namely, household mobility surveys, transit network data, and built environment audits. The paper investigates how the spatial accessibility of jobs in each city, the availability of public transportation close to residential locations, and the safety of public transit stops affect the labor force participation of women and their likelihood of employment. The main findings are that: (a) accessibility, availability, and safety appear to impact women’s labor force participation differentially in each city, and these impacts also vary by income level; and (b) although accessibility, availability, and safety appear to impact women’s labor force participation, they have overall little impact on women’s employment probability. The paper takes these two findings to imply that: (a) a one-size-fits-all-women solution is not appropriate when designing public transport systems; and (b) although public transport plays a critical role in improving women’s access to employment opportunities, complementary actions are needed to translate these gains into gainful employment.
Ten-thousand Steps in Her Shoes: The Role of Public Transport in Women’s Economic Empowerment – Evidence from Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-11-20) Alam, Muneeza Mehmood; Bagnoli, Lisa
SEE THE FORMALLY PUBLISHED VERSION OF THIS REPORT AT THE LINK PROVIDED BELOW. This report sheds light on public transport’s role in women’s access to economic opportunities in urban MENA. It examines the links among mobility, gender, and access to economic opportunities. It provides evidence of gender differences in mobility patterns and travel behavior, as well as the barriers and challenges women face when using public transport. It also assesses whether public transport systemdeficiencies constrain women’s economic participation. This report focuses on three metropolitan areas: Amman, Jordan; Beirut, Lebanon; and Cairo, Egypt. These cities were chosen for their contrasting size, context, and economic stability.
Is a Mile for One a Mile for All?: A Knowledge Synthesis Report on Gender and Mobility (2000–20)
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022) Alam, Muneeza Mehmood; Kurshitashvili, Nato; Dominguez Gonzalez, Karla; Gonzalez Carvajal, Karla; Baruah, Bipasha
The broad objectives of this study were to identify the following: (1) mobility differences globally between women and men (and by non-binary individuals, more broadly, where possible). This objective includes identifying and explaining heterogeneity in mobility needs and patterns in developed and developing countries (and intersectionality across gender, age, geographic location, ethnicity, disability, class and income, sexual identity, where possible), and documenting how these dimensions influence mobility choices and needs; (2) outcomes for women and men (and intersectionality across other gender identity, socioeconomic and demographic criteria, where possible) of mobility barriers and opportunities to access education, employment, health, social services, and leisure and recreation services. This objective includes identifying the differing effects and outcomes for women and men (and intersectionality across other gender identity, socioeconomic and demographic criteria, where possible) of transport investments and innovations; (3) policy lessons and future research needs for optimizing access to transport for women and other transport-disadvantaged groups.
The Road to Opportunities in Rural India: The Economic and Social Impacts of PMGSY
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-12-01) Alam, Muneeza Mehmood; Herrera Dappe, Matias; Andres, Luis
This report presents the results of an impact evaluation of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) rural roads program in India. The program targeted the provision of all-weather roads to about 178,000 habitations across India. The impact evaluation uses a difference-in-difference approach and panel data from the states of Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan collected in 2009 and 2017. The evaluation finds that PMGSY improved accessibility, particularly in hilly areas, increased access to economic opportunities, triggering a change in the structure of employment in rural India, and had a positive impact on human capital formation in rural India, with boys and girls benefiting equally.
Closing the Gap: Gender, Transport, and Employment in Mumbai
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-03) Alam, Muneeza Mehmood; Cropper, Maureen; Herrera Dappe, Matias; Suri, Palak
There is increasing recognition that women experience mobility differently from men. A growing body of literature documents the differences in men and women’s mobility patterns. However, there is limited evidence on the evolution of these mobility patterns over time and the role that transportation networks play in women’s access to economic opportunities. This study attempts to fill these gaps. It contributes to the literature in two ways. First, it documents the differences in men and women’s mobility patterns in Mumbai, India, and the changes in these patterns over time, as the city has developed. Second, it explores whether the lack of access to mass transit limits women’s labor force participation. The study analyzes two household surveys conducted in the Greater Mumbai Region in 2004 and 2019. It finds important differences in the mobility patterns of men and women that reflect differences in the division of labor within the household. These differences in mobility patterns, and their evolution over time, point to an implicit “pink tax” on female mobility. Transport appears to be only one of many barriers to women’s labor force participation and not the most important one.
Cleaner Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure: Greening Passenger Fleets for Sustainable Mobility
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10) Alam, Muneeza Mehmood; Lee, Yoomin
Mobility is essential for economic and social development, but the transport sector in most countries is not sustainable in its existing form. Reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and local pollutants in the transport sector will create a cleaner, healthier and more livable future for everyone. Electric mobility (e-mobility) represents a crucial opportunity to develop a more sustainable transport system. Electrification of transport offers significant environmental benefits and at the same time produces a long-lasting economic impact. E-mobility is an important way to mitigate air pollution by reducing carbon intensity of the transport sector as it has better efficiency than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and has zero tailpipe emissions. Through electrification of transport, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that electric vehicles can reduce GHG emissions by almost half compared to an equivalent fleet of ICE vehicles under existing government policies. The note identifies tangible actions and policies that governments can adopt to facilitate the adoption of e-mobility in passenger transport. In doing so, it identifies practical considerations that governments should keep in mind when facilitating e-mobility adoption. Passenger transport includes public, shared, and private transport. This technical note places a strong emphasis on public and shared transport as improving it: (i) helps make the transport system less congested, reducing the need for many separate trips by private vehicles; (ii) can benefit people across all income strata; and (iii) can, with higher utilization, harness the operational cost savings of electrification faster than relatively low utilization private vehicles.
Creating Pro-Poor Transport: Connecting the Dots - Transport, Growth, and Poverty Reduction
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-10) Alam, Muneeza Mehmood
Transport plays a crucial role in connecting people to goods and services and fostering sustainable development. The literature links improved transport infrastructure to economic growth and poverty reduction through five key mechanisms: (1) reducing transport and production costs, (2) creating jobs, (3) expanding productive capacity, (4) improving access to markets and basic services like health and education, and (5) reducing prices of final goods and services. These benefits depend on supportive conditions in other sectors, such as access to credit, functioning land markets, low trade barriers, and so on. Therefore, any assessment of potential gains from transport infrastructure and services should also account for the interaction with complementary markets. However, the analysis of such interactions, assessing how and when transport infrastructure can help reduce poverty and income inequality, is largely missing from the literature, leaving significant knowledge gaps across the spectrum of transportation settings. This note highlights existing findings and some limitations in the literature on three basic types of transport infrastructure: large projects such as regional or national highways and railroads; rural transport; and transport in urban areas.