Economic Development

In our first installment of “Inside the Middle East: Q&A,” Professor Mohamad Al-Ississ, Spring 2014 Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Initiative, discusses his current research at Harvard Kennedy School, the constraints on economic development in the Middle East and attempts at education reform in the region. You can watch the interview, conducted […]

This is part one of a two-part series on Saudi Arabia’s fossil fuel subsidies. This post discusses existing problems with Saudi Arabia’s subsidies program. The governments of developing, oil-exporting countries tend to maintain domestic fossil fuel prices at levels significantly lower than the free-market prices. Selling fossil fuels at domestic prices below the market leads […]

This post is part of a series of reviews summarizing discussions that took place at the 2013 Harvard Arab Weekend. For more information about this event, the largest pan-Arab conference in North America, please visit http://harvardarabweekend.org/ Panel Speakers:   Nafez Dakkak, Manager, Online Education Initiative, Queen Rania Foundation Adel bin Mohammad Fakeih, Minister of Labor, Saudi Arabia […]

This post is part of a series of reviews summarizing presentations and discussions that took place at the 2013 Harvard Arab Weekend. For more information about this event, the largest pan-Arab conference in North America, please visit http://harvardarabweekend.org/ Panel Speakers:   On November 11 a panel of three regional experts came together during Harvard Arab […]

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan gave a keynote address on November 7th at the Harvard Arab Weekend stating she felt optimistic about the future of the Arab world and unveiled an new digital education platform for the region. HM Queen Rania opened her remarks by quoting Charles Dickens A Tale of Two […]

Abstract: The Arabian Gulf region has the most prodigious energy reserves in the world. However, the region’s massive industrialization and expanding demography are also increasing energy consumption at unsustainable rates, leading to natural gas deficits across the region. This article argues that the pressures of economic development and industrial diversification are steadily eroding the comparative […]