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This paper was aimed to develop better knowledge to show how obstacles impact Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in investment business on the global competitiveness index (GCI). This study was applied to six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies to analyse and classify investment obstacles in order to improve GCI and mitigate the obstacles to doing business.

This study used the 12 pillars of the GCI to classify six GCC countries and 15 factors of SDGs using data from 2008 to 2017. The data were collected from the International Monetary Fund and GCI reports from 2008 to 2018 on all six GCC countries: the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar. The paper adopted equations to analyse the GCI, along with 15 obstacles to doing investment business. The paper used regression and correlation tests by two proxies: obstacles to SDGs as an independent variable and the GCI as a dependent variable.

The findings of this study focussed on the best classification of the GCI, which went to Qatar, whereas the lowest rank went to Oman. The major components of obstacles to doing investment business are restrictive labour regulations, access to financing and inefficient government bureaucracy factors. These obstacles stand in the way of achieving SDGs and delay the improvement of the competitive field. Hence, the results of the regression test show that there is a negative and statistically significant impact in Oman, Kuwait and the UAE between obstacles to doing business on the GCI at the significance levels of 1% and 5%. The Pearson correlation matrix is strong between obstacles to SDGs, as the same elements of the GCI also exist in these countries, at 55.2%, 75% and 55.5%, respectively.

There are some limitations related to the study period being from 2008 to 2017. Before 2008, the GCI consisted of nine pillars rather than 12, and there were 14 problems rather than 15 related to doing investment business. Hence, this does not match with the period of this study. Furthermore, the reports after 2017 did not mention the problems of doing business, only analysing the GCI.

The results of the study highlight the strategic and practical aspects of GCC countries diagnosing the SDGs to know how to reduce obstacles to sustainable development, which can enhance investments by improving the GCI.

The current study measured and evaluated how to mitigate the obstacles to SDGs in the GCC countries. It is the first study to explain these obstacles in the GCC countries, which are characterised by their huge wealth that contributes significantly to global economic development.

The purpose of this paper is to identify evidence for, first, the existence and nature of organisational culture of Chinese construction organisations in Kuwait, second, the differences and similarities when comparing with construction organisations in China and, third, the differences and similarities when comparing with construction organisations within the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Data were collected through researcher administered survey instruments from 33 Chinese construction project managers in Kuwait, then were analysed by using the Organisational Culture Assessment Instrument and empirical statistics.

The Hierarchy culture was found to be dominant. It matches the predominant organisational culture among construction organisations in China, but is different from the blend of Hierarchy and Group culture of construction organisations in the GCC.

Chinese construction organisations in Kuwait were found to foster an organisational culture that is close to Chinese construction organisations in China regarding Hierarchy, Market and Adhocracy culture, but closer to the GCC construction organisations regarding the Group culture. Practitioners need to be aware of the differences and similarities identified in order to manage cultural diversity effectively.

While the trade sector has long been the backbone of growth followed by real estate development in Dubai, the impact of reduced oil revenues in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has affected Dubai. GCC countries have identified innovation and transitioning to a knowledge-based economy as critical components of sustainable growth in the post-oil world. The purpose of this chapter is twofold: (1) to examine UAE’s competitiveness relative to four economies for which we can draw meaningful conclusions (Qatar, Singapore, Norway, and Switzerland) and (2) to integrate macro- and micro-level findings in an actionable framework. Using the composite Knowledge Economy Index (KEI) developed by the World Bank (2008, 2012), we conclude that UAE should prioritize three key areas to ­transition to a knowledge-based economy: the regulatory regime, innovation, and human capital. These findings are consistent with a recent study by the UAE Department of Economic Development/INSEAD, which highlights two areas that need addressing: “Creation” (knowledge creation) and “Anchoring” (institutional environment for innovation). We integrate these macro-level findings with research at the innovation ecosystem level (and particularly survey-based research completed by Wamda Research Lab) to propose a comprehensive action framework across all ecosystem stakeholders (i.e., government, entrepreneurs, academia, support ecosystem, and corporates). The action matrix allows individual stakeholders to drive corresponding actions and prioritize across short- and long-term initiatives.

From Europe moving forward into Asia, the Silk Road has the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) on the way. These countries alphabetically include: “Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.” While these countries have long been dependent on oil for development, they are currently planning to reduce this dependence and consider innovation as an important mean for future development. This chapter explores the past progress of innovation in the GCC countries; and highlights future directions ahead. In this respect two end countries of the Silk Road, Italy and China, are also considered. The chapter views innovation from the wide angle of the Global Innovation Index, which has 7 main dimensions, consisting of 21 sub-dimensions, which are refined into 81 international indicators. An approach for looking into the current state, the past progress, and the future directions of innovation in the countries concerned is developed and followed using available data. Although the outcome is based on the currently available data, the approach can be re-used for newer data providing continuous benefits to directing future development.

The current chapter proposes a theoretical framework to assess the sustainability of economic growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States. The authors integrate insights from endogenous growth models and consider the unique socioeconomic characteristics of the GCC region to provide a comprehensive and tailored approach to understanding the determinants of economic growth and formulating effective policy measures to foster sustainable development and growth. This chapter highlights the environmental challenges faced by GCC; based on this, the authors suggested indicators to construct a theoretical framework (Economic Growth, Climatic Indicators, Energy Indicators, Social Indicators, and Economic Resources Indicators). The authors propose that policymakers and researchers in GCC States should take these factors into account when devising policies or conducting research aimed at fostering sustainable economic growth. Overall, this chapter presents significant insights for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders involved in promoting the sustainable economic advancement of the GCC States.

The paper aims to provide the prospects and challenges of cooperation concerning natural gas (NG) resources between the European Union (EU) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), based on a “critical review” of the current state of the GCC region regarding NG production, consumption, trading movements, policy framework and existing/planned projects and programs for each GCC country individually.

The methodological four‐steps approach adopted is based on the context of the project “Creation and Operation of an EU‐GCC Clean Energy Network” (www.eugcc‐cleanergy.net). This paper summarizes the dynamic NG supply/demand situation in the GCC countries in a structured way, touching upon some pertinent policy issues and relating specific projects.

The key finding of the paper is the assessment of GCC countries' potential for future collaboration, especially with the EU. The collaboration opportunities, based on a detailed overview of existing and planned practices in the GCC countries, linking the policy to the practical commercial level, as well as the national system context is elaborated.

To the best of their knowledge, a study focused on the EU‐GCC cooperation for NG is not present in the literature. This study highlights how policy measures differ depending on the supply/demand situation of a particular country, bringing a unique perspective on how diverse the GCC region really is. Moreover, based on the specific energy projects presented, the policy level is linked to the practical commercial level. The presented approach and the related outcomes support the policy makers to enable the environment needed for concrete NG cooperation actions of mutual benefit for both regions.

The purpose of this paper is to explain prevalent earnings differentials in Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC’s) private sectors between skilled local and migrant labor and provide estimates of potential price distortions to underlie future market-based corrective policies that increase participation of locals in private employment.

The paper uses an individual-level data set on workers’ earnings and productivity-related characteristics to decompose estimated earnings differentials at the mean level and at various percentiles of the earnings distribution via well-established decomposition approaches.

Results show that the real earnings differential between locals and Asians decreases at higher earnings, while that between locals and non-GCC Arabs are relatively stable. Both are characterized by overpayment of locals, that is, self-inflicted by current nationalization policies. Higher earnings of Westerners are due to their superior productivity-related characteristics.

Due to the lack of official individual-level data on workers’ productivity-related characteristics, this paper is compelled to utilize an open-source primary data set. Despite the data set’s ability to reproduce officially published aggregates and produce sound econometric results, findings are not entirely proof against sampling bias.

The paper demonstrates that the failure of GCC’s nationalization policies is self-inflicted by the current quota system and by the lack of legislative frameworks that ensure equal pay for equal work. Effective nationalization ought to be market based, rather than by fiat.

The paper is the first to analyze GCC’s private earnings differentials at the individual level and provides micro-econometric evidence on existing price distortions.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between external monetary incentives (EMI) and affective commitment (AC), normative commitment (NC), and continuance commitment (CC).

Data were obtained from a sample of 880 employees of different education and job levels, industries, sectors, and salary grades.

An increase in EMI value is linked to a weakening of AC. In a non-Western context, specific employee characteristics – salary grade, educational level, industry type, and employment in the private vs public sector – are associated with different levels of CC. At the same time, employees at different job levels (top managers, middle managers, supervisor, and operative-level employees) are differently predisposed toward AC and NC. Job level emerged as a moderating variable between EMI and AC.

Understanding of the ways in which EMI are related to organizational commitment will inform organizational decision makers about how to be more successful in retaining valuable employees.

The study offers a systematic exploratory examination of the relationship between commitment components (AC, NC, and CC) and the amount of salary offered by an alternative employer.

As the ongoing oil prices’ crisis is emerging as a major cause of concern for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, the constituent governments are attempting at undertaking measures of economic diversification to attain long-term sustainability. The author posits that open government data (OGD) has a significant role to play in facilitating the economic turnaround of the GCC region, given that OGD promotes innovation and economic growth besides providing avenues for collaboration and participation among different stakeholders.

Following a structured literature review, the paper scans literature on OGD followed by providing a typology of countries on the basis of their OGD-adherence (“laggard”, “caged”, “forerunner” and “champ”). This is followed by a discussion on the ongoing oil prices’ crisis, and evidentiary support is lent by examples from the OGD portals of each of the six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) to provide indicators as to how a robust OGD implementation may support their economic diversification objectives.

Although the present OGD framework of the GCC is relatively weak, it is asserted that OGD has immense potential in facilitating the economic diversification initiatives of the GCC countries. Therefore, the GCC needs to strategize upon institutionalization of their OGD initiatives for realizing their “vision” and goals of economic diversification to result in an economic turnaround effectively.

Besides providing a typology of countries as OGD-adherents and categorizing GCC as “forerunner(s)” on the basis of the typology, the originality of the study lies in its attempt to answer the research question: “what is the role of the OGD in facilitating the economic diversification of the GCC?” Conceding that the research on OGD in the GCC context is few and far between, the present study is a significant contribution to the extant literature pertaining to the roll-out of OGD in developing countries.