scholarly journals Return Migration from the Gulf Region to India Amidst COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 207-225
Author(s):  
S Irudaya Rajan ◽  
H. Arokkiaraj
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Gulf Countries ◽  
Integration Mechanisms ◽  
Migration Corridor ◽  
Forced Return

AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic has directly affected the millions of migrant workers in Gulf countries, mostly employed as temporary labour in construction and allied sectors. The Gulf region historically has been the most favoured destination for such jobs. However, the pandemic crisis has halted construction projects in these countries as the drastic fall in oil prices has affected Gulf oil and non-oil economies severely. This has had an adverse effect on Indian migrant workers as they face the threat of unemployment, leading to their voluntary or forced return to India. For example, at the end of 2020, half a million Kerala emigrants, most of them in the Gulf, had lost their jobs abroad due to the pandemic, making their return inevitable given their temporary status in these countries. This chapter examines how India is prepared to handle the changing trends in Indo-Gulf migration corridor and the subsequent return emigration from the Gulf. The chapter highlights major sending-state perspectives, such as that of Kerala and others, and their responses towards Gulf returnees. Moreover, it provides insights by revisiting the existing economic and social security measures for returning migrants and their families within the framework of state welfare schemes, thereby examining rehabilitation and re-integration mechanisms for return migrants at the central and state levels in India.

The Crisis of Gulf Migration

2018 ◽  
pp. 848-868
Author(s):  
S. Irudaya Rajan
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Migration Policy ◽  
Oil Industry ◽  
Immigrant Workers ◽  
Undocumented Migrant ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Gulf Countries

The discovery of oil in Gulf countries significantly influenced international migration of workers to the Gulf region as these countries required human resources from other countries to work in oil industry. Due to the nonavailability of nationals, migrant workers, first from Arab-speaking countries and later from Asia, began to be employed. These migrant workers brought change not only to the economy of the Gulf region but also in the age-sex composition of the region. Initially there were no plans to reduce or to stop immigrant workers because of the need for skilled and semiskilled workers for the development of the economy. The respective governments of Gulf countries started implementing nationalist policies to reduce or regulate migration due to high unemployment among nationals. In addition, due to the large-scale presence of undocumented migrant workers or shadow labor forces, Gulf countries faced a crisis which they solved through amnesty schemes introduced from time to time. This chapter explains the role of migration in the Gulf and its implications for migration policy, undocumented workers, and resulting crises brought forth in the economy and society.

India’s Gulf ties will face setbacks in the near term

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Middle East ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
South East Asia ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gcc Countries ◽  
Gulf Countries ◽  
Near Term

Significance Indian nationals are struggling to maintain jobs in the Middle East as GCC states contend with historically low oil prices as well as the economic fallout of the pandemic. Gulf countries have meanwhile expressed concern at what they regard as growing anti-Muslim sentiment in India. Impacts Pakistan will step up efforts to gather support from GCC countries regarding the Kashmir issue. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will increase investment in India’s health and tech sectors. The number of Indian migrant workers in South-east Asia, Australia and Canada will gradually increase.

HERITAGE IN THE LIVED ENVIRONMENT OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND THE GULF REGION

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph John Hobbs
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
Spatial Features ◽  
Gulf Countries ◽  
The Social ◽  
Islamic Values

This paper examines how the architectural, social, and cultural heritage of the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries may contribute to better development of this region’s lived environment. Modern urbanism has largely neglected heritage in architectural design and in social and private spaces, creating inauthentic places that foster a hunger for belongingness in the UAE’s built environment. The paper reviews recent urban developments in the UAE and the Gulf Region, and identifies elements of local heritage that can be incorporated into contemporary planning and design. It proposes that adapting vernacular architectural heritage to the modern built environment should not be the principal goal for heritage-informed design. Instead we may examine the social processes underlying the traditional lived environment, and aim for social sustainability based on the lifeways and preferences of local peoples, especially in kinship and Islamic values. Among the most promising precedents for modern social sustainability are social and spatial features at the scale of the neighborhood in traditional Islamic settlements. Interviews with local Emiratis will also recommend elements of traditional knowledge to modern settings. 

Managing integration in infrastructure alliance projects

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Maija Hietajärvi ◽  
Kirsi Aaltonen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Projects ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Project Organizations ◽  
Integration Mechanisms ◽  
Organizational Integration ◽  
Time Critical

Purpose The effective management of inter-organizational integration is central to complex projects. Such projects pose significant challenges for integration, as organizations struggle with constantly changing inter-organizational interdependencies and must develop and adapt integration mechanisms to meet new demands. The purpose of this paper is to understand what kinds of integration mechanisms are used and how they are developed and adjusted during the infrastructure alliance projects. Design/methodology/approach This study provides empirical evidence of integration dynamics in project alliancing by analyzing two infrastructure alliance projects – a complex tunnel construction project and a railway renovation project. The research approach is an inductive case study. Findings This paper identifies integration mechanisms adopted in two case projects and three central triggers that led to changes in the integration mechanisms: project lifecycle phase, unexpected events and project team’s learning during the project. Practical implications Integration capability should be a precondition for alliance project organizations and requires the adoption of a wide range of integration mechanisms, as well as an ability to adjust those mechanisms in response to everyday dynamics and emergent situations. Originality/value Although unplanned contingencies and the responses to them represent important influences in organizations, there is limited amount of research on the dynamics of integration. The findings will be of value in supporting the management of inter-organizational integration in complex, uncertain and time-critical construction projects.

Socially responsible supply chain management in small and medium enterprises in the GCC

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bader Al-Esmael ◽  
Faisal Talib ◽  
Mohd. Nishat Faisal ◽  
Fauzia Jabeen
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gulf Countries ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine variables and their relationships that hinder socially responsible behaviours in the supply chain of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). countries. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the mixed-method approach that includes the survey method and soft mathematical modelling. Empirical data were collected from 130 SMEs and their suppliers based in Qatar and Oman. Furthermore, to understand the barriers and their interrelationships, interpretive structural modelling approach is applied. Findings The results of empirical study reveal lack of coherence among SMEs and their suppliers in prioritising social responsibility issues in their supply chain. The hierarchy-based model reveals that shortages of incentive, short-term objectives, the lack of cooperation and willingness among supply chain partners, constraints (financial, managerial and technological) and the pressure from customers were the independent barriers and have strong driving power. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study are expected to provide an insight to further improve and promote socially responsible supply chain in emerging economies in Gulf region. Future research could compare the socially responsible activities of SMEs from different Gulf countries and expand the understanding of the barriers that outline the responses of suppliers situated in different Gulf economies. Originality/value The results contribute to the field of supply chain sustainability as the first academic attempt to shed light on how SMEs in GCC are dealing with supply chain social responsibility issues and one of the few in the emerging economy perspective that probes the key role of barriers to improve the socially responsible behaviour of Gulf-based SMEs.

scholarly journals The Impact of Sectarian Conflict in Syria on Iran-Gulf Relations

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleem A. Salih Al-Dulaimi ◽  
Mohammad Kamal ◽  
Dalal Mahmoud Elsayed
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Open Approach ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Gulf Countries ◽  
Proxy War ◽  
Gulf States ◽  
Sectarian Conflict ◽  
Arab Gulf ◽  
Arab Gulf States ◽  
The Impact

Iran-Gulf relations are a confusing maze of complexities and contradictions. Iran’s voracious aspirations have been manifest in more than one act and place. The 1979 Revolution created a pervasive atmosphere of anxiety and fear in the Gulf region of that revolution’s ideological expansion into the Gulf states, especially those countries in which Shiites form important parts of their societies. In the Iran-Iraq war 1980, on the other hand, the Arab Gulf states supported Iraq against Iran as it was a proxy war to protect the Arab Gulf states, and Saddam Hussein, nevertheless, ended up occupying Kuwait in 1990. And then the Iranian-Gulf relations took a new turn at the time of both presidents Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, who adopted an open approach to the Gulf countries. However, those relations worsened when Ahmadinejad came to power as he started to export the revolutionary thought to the Gulf countries and extended the Iranian influence to Iraq after 2003, to Syria in the aftermath of the revolution that erupted in Syria in 2011 and to the Gulf Cooperation Council states, especially in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. All this comes at the expense of the Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, which is keen to maintain its influential role in the face of Iranian encroachment in Syria, through the support of the Syrian revolution, which seeks to overthrow Iran's ally in Damascus, Bashar al-Assad. Therefore, this study is trying to find an answer to this question: how has sectarian conflict in Syria impacted the Iranian-Gulf relations?

Challenges Facing Real-Estate Mortgages in the Arabian Gulf Region

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-98
Author(s):  
Ahmad Mohammed al-Darbas ◽  
Mohammed Ebrahem al-Wasmi
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Mortgage Market ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Financing System ◽  
The Real Estate ◽  
Arabian Gulf Region ◽  
Gulf Countries ◽  
Legal Foundations ◽  
Mortgage Law

Abstract This article intends to present the significance of mortgage financing in emerging markets and explain how mortgage financing affects positively the economies of emerging countries. It will also show the legal foundations of the real-estate mortgage law and the prerequisites for a successful mortgage financing system. This article intends to define the main challenges that some consider a hindrance to the development of the mortgage market in the Arabian Gulf countries. From this perspective, a brief comparative analysis of mortgage financing will focus on varying laws and regulations that apply to real-estate mortgages in the Gulf region. Implications for the development of the mortgage market in Arabian Gulf countries will be based on challenges in the mortgage market.

Forecasting the differences between various commercial oil prices in the Persian Gulf region by neural network

Energy ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 3979-3984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamyar Movagharnejad ◽  
Bahman Mehdizadeh ◽  
Morteza Banihashemi ◽  
Masoud Sheikhi Kordkheili
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Persian Gulf ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
The Persian Gulf ◽  
Commercial Oil

scholarly journals The Gulf Familial Hypercholesterolemia Registry (Gulf FH): Design, Rationale and Preliminary Results

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid Al-Rasadi ◽  
Khalid F. Alhabib ◽  
Faisal Al-Allaf ◽  
Khalid Al-Waili ◽  
Ibrahim Al-Zakwani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase 1 ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Genetic Diagnosis ◽  
National Study ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Genetic Characteristics ◽  
Lipid Clinic ◽  
Gulf Countries ◽  
Number Of Patients

Aim: To determine the prevalence, genetic characteristics, current management and outcomes of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) in the Gulf region. Methods: Adult (18-70 years) FH patients were recruited from 9 hospitals and centres across 5 Arabian Gulf countries. The study was divided into 4 phases and included patients from 3 different categories. In phase 1, suspected FH patients (category 1) were collected according to the lipid profile and clinical data obtained through hospital record systems. In phase 2, patients from category 2 (patients with a previous clinical diagnosis of FH) and category 1 were stratified into definitive, probable and possible FH according to the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria. In phase 3, 500 patients with definitive and probable FH from categories 1 and 2 will undergo genetic testing for 4 common FH genes. In phase 4, these 500 patients with another 100 patients from category 3 (patients with previous genetic diagnosis of FH) will be followed for 1 year to evaluate clinical management and cardiovascular outcomes. The Gulf FH cohort was screened from a total of 34,366 patients attending out-patient clinics. Results: The final Gulf FH cohort consisted of 3,317 patients (mean age: 47±12 years, 54% females). The number of patients with definitive FH is 203. In this initial phase of the study, the prevalence of (probable and definite) FH is 1/232. Conclusion: The prevalence of FH in the adult population of the Arabian Gulf region is high. The Gulf FH registry, a first-of-a-kind multi-national study in the Middle East region, will help in improving underdiagnosis and undertreatment of FH in the region.

The “Humane Economy”: Migrant Labour and Islam in Qatar and the uae

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 200-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Babar
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Fragmented Landscape ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Migration System ◽  
Rights Discourse ◽  
Human Rights Norms ◽  
A Site ◽  
Human Rights Discourse

The Gulf region has emerged as one of the largest hubs of international migration and more recently has also become a site of contestation for debates over the treatment of international labour migrants. This paper reviews the labour migration system in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, studies the unfolding human rights discourse on Gulf migration, and examines how Islamic principles might be applied to the labour reforms taking place in these countries. The paper suggests that there is a fragmented landscape around the human rights discourse of migrant workers globally. There are also tensions around the adoption of international human rights norms as a framework for addressing the vulnerabilities of Gulf migrants. In conclusion, the paper argues that the category of current Gulf labour migrant is best served if placed within the Islamic view of how an ethical economy ought to function. Islamic precepts on the ‘humane’ economy can serve to provide guidance on how to balance the interests of workers and employers, and elevate the standards for migrant workers’ rights in this region.

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