School Attainment, Knowledge Economy in Arab Countries, and Comparisons with EEE Economies

Author(s):  
Ghita Bentouila ◽  
Alae Gamar

The most important avenues emphasized in this chapter relate to the progress in school attainment as an important indicator of the knowledge position of a country. The descriptive statistical analyses besides other assessments are devoted to show the pertinence and the importance of education attainment. Barro and Lee 1950-2010 data are used in this chapter. The opportunities lost with the low level of school attainment are introduced and discussed. The relatively slow speed of recovery in schooling is already expressed by the lowest knowledge performances achieved between the economies of North Africa, Sudan, Yemen, and the Gulf countries. In addition, the description has shown a higher attainment in schooling of EEE economies in comparison to Arab countries.

Author(s):  
I. Labinskaya

Political developments in North Africa and the Middle East that have begun in January 2011 are gaining strength and involve an increasing number of Arab countries. The participants of the Roundtable – experts from IMEMO, Institute of Oriental Studies (RAS), Institute of the USA and Canada (RAS) and Mrs. E. Suponina from “Moscow News” newspaper analyzed a wide range of issues associated with these events. Among them are: 1) the reasons for such a large-scale explosion, 2) the nature of the discussed developments (revolutions, riots?) and who are the subjects of the current “Arab drama”, 3) the role of Islam and political Islamism, 4) the role of external factors.


Author(s):  
Ahmed Driouchi

As underlined in the previous chapter, rents may reduce the capacity of Arab economies to accelerate its adoption of knowledge economy. Major imperfections in these economies at the levels of markets, governance, and enterprises are discussed in this chapter. The limited business and enterprise creation in relation to the high unemployment of skilled labor are among the issues analyzed and discussed. As the prevailing political, macroeconomic, and business components are inter-related, imperfections are identified in almost all areas of the Arab economies. The chapter shows clearly that shifts to further knowledge economic and social policies are needed.


Author(s):  
Fatima-Zohra Filali Adib ◽  
Amale Achehboune

The feminization of labor markets through the role of education is among the means that enhance the participation of women to development and ensure further involvement of human resources in the growth and development processes. While this is a process that is highly pursued in most developed economies, it is not clearly seen to be pervasive in most developing countries. The Arab economies are among those countries where lower participation of women is observed but where education can be an important leverage for further feminization of labor markets. These issues are discussed in the present chapter to underline the role of education in Arab economies.


2017 ◽  
pp. 234-251
Author(s):  
Abdelkader Djeflat

Arab countries face two major challenges resulting from increasing competition from the rest of the world and persistent reliance on mineral resources for their growth. At the same time, sustainable development is increasingly becoming a major concern for world development. In this respect, and from a sustainability point of view, knowledge economy opens up new and more accessible opportunities through the ‘substitution' of physical resources by immaterial resources. This situation raises two fundamental questions: the first one relates to the opportunity of ensuring sustainable development while the knowledge base remains rather weak and policies often short-sighted. The second one is how an integrated approach based on knowledge can strengthen existing knowledge bases and create new ones to further sustainable development. Looking at a sample of advanced countries and Arab countries, this chapter argues that sustainability of growth rests fundamentally on the capability of properly harnessing knowledge.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Samih Antoine Azar ◽  
Ali Bolbol ◽  
Alexandre Mouradian

In the past two decades, Arab countries have had their fair share of political instability and economic dislocations. They have also experienced relatively low national savings – at close to 24%, more than 10% less than the Asian economies. This paper looks at how private savings can be invigorated so as to finance more investment and growth, especially in the presence of persistent budget deficits. It develops a simple macroeconomic equation for the determinants of private savings, and uses a novel econometric approach – Robust Least Squares – to estimate that equation for a sample of ten Arab countries across the three sub-regions of the Gulf, West Asia, and North Africa, for the annual 1994-2015 period. The paper finds that Arab private savings compensate for government dis-savings and help ameliorate pressures on the current account and exchange rates. It also finds that Arab private savings are closely related to long-run Arab GDP growth ala the life cycle hypothesis, and proposes policies to enhance the mutual growth of Arab private savings and GDP.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabah Arezki

This paper argues for a novel approach to financing infrastructure needs in Arab countries. It first describes the context of rising public debt in the region, contrasting it with the vast infrastructure needs. It then discusses the challenges in meeting these needs with traditional financing. The paper then makes the case for maximizing finance for development by using public-private partnerships and presents a few successful examples in Arab countries. Finally, the paper explores the way forward and concludes on the need for strong state capacity and integrity to promote the “maximizing finance for development” approach.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 250-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nermeen Shehata

The paper focuses on one homogeneous group of countries in the Middle East North Africa Region, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which provides an opportunity to better understand the environment and context, and help shape future research. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of three factors affecting corporate disclosure practices in the GCC countries including: economy, capital markets, and laws and enforcement mechanisms. Several recommendations that would help improve disclosure and financial reporting practices in the GCC are presented. Accounting researchers, especially those with interests in disclosure and financial reporting issues, should take into account the impact of the previous factors while designing their empirical research and reporting its findings


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 115-138
Author(s):  
V. G. Maralov ◽  
V. A. Sitarov

Introduction. The ability to non-violent interaction acts as the most important indicator of professional competency of specialists of “person to person” type occupations: teachers, psychologists, physicians, social workers, etc. Such ability has to be formed at the stage of higher education institution. To build the conditions for development and consolidation in students of the position of non-violence and to neutralise propensity to coercion and manipulation, it is necessary to provide regular monitoring on the identification of prevalent psychological attitudes in students: coercion, manipulation, non-violence, non-interference, including the analysis of their structure and content. However, correctional work with students can become complicated by their internal resistance to the need to change personally, overcoming the developed stereotypes and attitudes, as well as by ambiguity of potential deformations of positions similar to non-violence, but not similar to its positions.The aim of the present research consisted in comparative characteristic of positions of non-violence and non-interference in students of psycho-pedagogical and medical specialties.Methodology and research methods. The methodological framework of the research was based on the provisions of modern philosophy, pedagogics and psychology about non-violence as a universal human value. As a diagnostic tool, the authors designed the questionnaires to identify the types of students’ interaction with people and the positions held by students. The tests of “Motivation to Success” and “Motivation of Failure Avoidance” by T. Ehlers, the test-questionnaire “Readiness for risk” by G. Schubert, “Method for Studying Trust to Own Self” by N. B. Astanina were employed. The total sample involved 362 students of the Moscow University for the Humanities, Cherepovets State University and Ivanovo State Medical Academy. To conduct the comparative analysis, the groups of students with the expressed non-violence position – 81 persons (22.38% of the total sample) and students with the expressed non-interference position – 34 persons (9.39% of the total sample) were allocated. The statistical significance of distinctions was calculated using of the Fisher’s angular transformation. Results and scientific novelty. As a result, it was established that a low level of irritability to people, high sensitivity to people, moderate expressiveness of motivation of success achievement and readiness to take the reasonable risk are common to students with prevalence of the position of non-violence. The respondents of this group demonstrated the dominant need for safety, which is expressed in high sensitivity to threats and choice of adequate ways of reaction in life-threatening situations with the average level of own credibility. The higher potential of irritability, low sensitivity to other people, tendency to failures avoiding and desire not to risk prevail among the students with the expressed position of non-interference. The need for experience of feeling safety, low sensitivity to threats, the aspiration to exaggerate value of dangers and low level of own credibility characterise the students of the group described above. The authors concluded that sensitivity to another person and own credibility act as the key factors, which cause the acceptance by students of the positions of non-violence or non-interference.Practical significance. The received results can be used in the course of formation of students’ ability to non-violent interaction as the most important professional competency of future specialists of “person to person” type occupations. 


2020 ◽  
pp. 002085232096980
Author(s):  
Bassam Abdullah Albassam

In 2011, during the Arab Spring, citizens in some Arab countries marched in the streets, demanding decreased corruption, increased public participation in running state affairs, and provision of jobs for citizens. In response, governments in the Middle East and North Africa region initiated strategic plans to meet the people’s demands (e.g. Morocco Vision 2030, Saudi Vision 2030). One of the main parts of these plans is related to reforming the public finance sector. Recently, in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, most Middle East and North Africa countries have taken loans or withdrawn from reserves (both considered sources of funding for government expenditures) to support the economy and fund the healthcare plans to fight the disease. Thus, the efficiency and effectiveness of government spending is very important in utilizing the available resources at all times. Using data for the Middle East and North Africa region from 1990 to 2019, and utilizing a scatterplot technique and the general linear modeling procedure, this article explores the relationship between public expenditures and economic growth. The results show that the current public expenditure system is inefficient and that efficient public spending has to be combined with other factors that influence the economy (e.g. enhancing public participation in running state affairs, controlling corruption, and supporting good governance practices in the public sector). Points for practitioners Government spending is one of the most important elements in managing state affairs toward achieving advanced levels of development and providing high-quality services to beneficiaries. This research explores the relationship between government spending and economic growth; the result of this study confirms that non-financial factors, such as fighting corruption, promoting democracy and freedom, enhancing public institutions’ quality, and supporting the productivity and accountability of the public sector, are important dimensions in promoting economic growth, especially in developing countries.


Bionatura ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1142-1149
Author(s):  
Raghad S. Mouhamad ◽  
Khlood Abedalelah Al-Khafaji ◽  
Risala H. Allami ◽  
Michael Alabboud ◽  
Maha Hameed Abdulla ◽  
...  

The novel SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the beta coronaviruses and causes a severe pandemic disease named as COVID-19. In late December 2019. WHO situation reports on 11 March 2020, declared that COVID-19 a pandemic due to its global spread. All Arab countries have reported COVID-19 cases. The confirmed cases of COVID-19 pandemic in Arab gulf countries were reported in the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, respectively. The fatality case rates in Gulf Countries are less than 1% in Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, yet it hits 7.5% in Iraq. In this manuscript, we try to interpret the pandemic statistically in gulf countries, especially in Iraq. Additionally, the distribution of COVID-19 confirmed cases based on ABO blood groups were investigated. Epidemiological analyses revealed that a decreased risk of infection was attributed to blood group O compared to non-O blood groups, whereas people with the A and A.B. blood groups showed the highest risk for COVID-19 infection. Besides, high risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, blood clotting, and interleukin secretion was also related to blood groups in different orders. Accordingly, patients with a specific blood group that are associate with the above diseases should be under strict medical surveillance when infected with COVID-19 to reduce complications and severity. This study provides further confirmation for the previously reported correlation between the ABO blood groups and the susceptibility to COVID-19 infection.


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