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Deficiencies in education and poor prospects for economic growth in the Gulf countries: The case of the UAE

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  • Joan Muysken
  • Samia Nour

Abstract

Our paper shows that the deficient educational system and the large share of unskilled foreign workers in the Gulf countries are serious impediments to a successful implementation of the strategies of these countries to reduce their dependence on foreign technologies and to restructure their economies in order to make them less dependent on oil exports. A novel element in our analysis is that we emphasise the role of the deficient educational system as an important problem, next to the well-documented quandary of a high incidence of unskilled foreign workers in the workforce. We use new survey data, both at an establishment level and economy-wide, to provide evidence on how the poor educational facilities lead to a poor provision of training, low skill levels, serious skills mismatch and deficient transfer of knowledge. These inadequate facilities and the lack of incentives to improve them also lead to low R&D efforts to promote local technologies and hamper a restructuring of the economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Joan Muysken & Samia Nour, 2006. "Deficiencies in education and poor prospects for economic growth in the Gulf countries: The case of the UAE," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(6), pages 957-980.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:42:y:2006:i:6:p:957-980
    DOI: 10.1080/00220380600774756
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Romer, Paul M, 1990. "Endogenous Technological Change," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 71-102, October.
    2. Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz, 1998. "The Origins of Technology-Skill Complementarity," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(3), pages 693-732.
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    Cited by:

    1. Samia Nour, 2013. "The Incidence and Transfer of Knowledge Within the Arab Societies," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 4(4), pages 406-422, December.
    2. Osiris Jorge Parcero & James Christopher Ryan, 2017. "Becoming a Knowledge Economy: the Case of Qatar, UAE, and 17 Benchmark Countries," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 8(4), pages 1146-1173, December.
    3. Michael C. Ewers & Edward J. Malecki, 2010. "Leapfrogging Into The Knowledge Economy: Assessing The Economic Development Strategies Of The Arab Gulf States," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 101(5), pages 494-508, December.
    4. Nour, Samia Satti Osman Mohamed, 2013. "Regional systems of innovation in the Arab region," MERIT Working Papers 2013-012, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    5. Karanfil, Fatih & Omgba, Luc Désiré, 2023. "The energy transition and export diversification in oil-dependent countries: The role of structural factors," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PB).
    6. Nour, Samia, 2011. "Assessment of skill and technology indicators at the macro-micro levels in Sudan," MERIT Working Papers 2011-031, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    7. Manuel Fernandez & Mariam Mohamed Almaazmi & Robinson Joseph, 2020. "Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia: An Analysis from Investors Perspective," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 10(5), pages 102-112.
    8. Khyati Shetty Datta & Julie Vardhan, 2017. "A SERVQUAL-Based Framework for Assessing Quality of International Branch Campuses in UAE," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(1), pages 21582440166, February.
    9. Nour, Samia, 2011. "Estimating the rate of return to education in Sudan," MERIT Working Papers 2011-033, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    10. Manuel Fernandez & Aysha Abdulla Ahmed Aljeed Alnuaimi & Robinson Joseph, 2020. "FDI Environment in China: A Critical Analysis," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 11(5), pages 238-253, October.
    11. Rutledge, Emilie & Madi, Mohamed & Forstenlechner, Ingo, 2014. "Parental influence on female vocational decisions in the Arabian Gulf," MPRA Paper 47521, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Lucía Mateos-Romero & María del Mar Salinas-Jiménez, 2018. "Labor Mismatches: Effects on Wages and on Job Satisfaction in 17 OECD Countries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 140(1), pages 369-391, November.
    13. Husam Arman & Simona Iammarino & J Eduardo Ibarra-Olivo & Neil Lee, 2022. "Systems of innovation, diversification, and the R&D trap: A case study of Kuwait [Building Technological Capability in the Less Developed Countries: The Role of a National System of Innovation]," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 49(2), pages 179-190.
    14. André Mollick, 2011. "The world elasticity of labor substitution across education levels," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 769-785, December.
    15. Nour, Samia, 2011. "Arab regional systems of innovation: characteristics and implications," MERIT Working Papers 2011-058, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    16. Manuel Fernandez & Robinson Joseph, 2016. "Qatar Emerging as the Most Attractive FDI Destination in the GCC," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 8(11), pages 175-192, November.
    17. Nour, Samia, 2011. "Education, training and skill development policies in Sudan: Macro-micro overview," MERIT Working Papers 2011-032, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    18. Manuel Fernandez & Robinson Joseph & Vania Maria Fernandez, 2022. "Diagnosis of the Foreign Direct Investment Landscape in India," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 12(4), pages 72-83, July.
    19. Osiris Parcero & James Christopher Ryan, 2024. "Becoming a Knowledge Economy: the Case of Qatar, UAE and 17 Benchmark Countries," Papers 2401.04214, arXiv.org.
    20. Nour, Samia Satti Osman Mohamed, 2010. "Assessment of science and technology indicators in Sudan," MERIT Working Papers 2010-062, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    21. Nour, Samia, 2011. "The use and economic impacts of ICT at the macro-micro levels in the Arab Gulf countries," MERIT Working Papers 2011-059, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    22. Rutledge, Emilie & Alkaabi, Khaled, 2017. "‘Private sector’ Emiratisation: job satisfaction and sociocultural influences," MPRA Paper 76931, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    23. Nour, Samia, 2011. "Assessment of industrial performance and the relationship between skill, technology and input-output indicators in Sudan," MERIT Working Papers 2011-030, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    24. Samia Nour, 2014. "Regional Systems of Innovation and Economic Structure in the Arab Region," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 5(3), pages 481-520, September.
    25. Ryan, James Christopher, 2016. "Old knowledge for new impacts: Equity theory and workforce nationalization," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(5), pages 1587-1592.

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