Search Results (324)

In sustainable development studies, a key question is how the abundance of natural resources influences long-run economic growth. However, there is no consensus on this issue. Some literature suggests a negative impact, while other studies find no effect at all, and other research indicates a positive impact. This study aims to examine the relationship between natural resource rents, renewable energy, and economic growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries over the period from 1990 to 2023. The study utilizes the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) to provide reliable findings across different quantiles. We also incorporate a series of control variables, including capital, labor force participation, non-renewable energy, and trade openness. The findings indicate that natural resources rent enhances economic growth in GCC countries, supporting the Rostow hypothesis. Although renewable energy has a positive impact on economic growth, it does not have an effect on natural resource rents. Additionally, capital, labor force participation, non-renewable energy, and trade openness play a critical role in raising economic growth in these countries. Based on the empirical results, this study provides several valuable recommendations for policymakers to enhance the management of natural resources in GCC countries. Full article

This study investigates whether institutional quality amplifies the emissions-reducing effect of energy efficiency in hydrocarbon-dependent economies. Addressing a gap in the energy–environment literature, it tests how governance conditions shape the effectiveness of technical mitigation strategies. Using panel data from six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries between 2000 and 2023, we estimate a fixed-effects model with interaction terms between energy intensity (as a proxy for efficiency) and institutional quality (proxied by Control of Corruption). The results show that energy efficiency is associated with lower CO₂ emissions, and this relationship is significantly moderated by institutional quality. We also analyze the emissions impact of natural gas consumption and identify a structural shift following the 2014 energy reforms: while gas use was positively associated with emissions before 2014, the post-reform period shows a weaker or reversed effect. Robustness checks using alternative governance indicators—Regulatory Quality and Government Effectiveness—confirm the moderating role of institutions. The study offers new empirical evidence on the energy–institution–environment nexus and introduces a novel interaction-based methodology suited to resource-rich economies undergoing institutional transition. Full article

Clean and safe air quality is essential for public health, yet particulate matter (PM) significantly degrades air quality and poses serious health risks. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are particularly vulnerable to frequent and intense dust storms due to their vast desert landscapes. This study presents the first health risk assessment of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks associated with exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 bound heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) based on air quality data collected during the years of 2016–2018 near Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi International Airport. The results reveal no significant carcinogenic risks for lead (Pb), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr). Additionally, AI-based regression analysis was applied to time-series dust monitoring data to enhance predictive capabilities in environmental monitoring systems. The estimated incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) from PAH exposure exceeded the acceptable threshold (10⁻⁶) in several samples at both locations. The relationship between visibility and key environmental variables—PM1, PM2.5, PM10, total suspended particles (TSPs), wind speed, air pressure, and air temperature—was modeled using three machine learning algorithms: linear regression, support vector machine (SVM) with a radial basis function (RBF) kernel, and artificial neural networks (ANNs). Among these, SVM with an RBF kernel showed the highest accuracy in predicting visibility, effectively integrating meteorological data and particulate matter variables. These findings highlight the potential of machine learning models for environmental monitoring and the need for continued assessments of air quality and its health implications in the region. Full article

In the vernacular architectural history of the Arabian Gulf region (the Gulf), the courtyard house is a common domestic typology. Islamic and sociological precepts regulate the design and the function of vernacular courtyard dwellings, resulting in homogeneity and harmony in the entire urban fabric of historic settlements. In this research endeavor, the aim is to investigate the degree to which the shaping of the spatial form in a sample of vernacular courtyard houses in the Gulf inscribes socio-cultural factors. It sheds light on visibility graph analysis, human behavior, and the system of activities in the domestic space. As a hypothesis, visibility and connectivity analysis could prove the existence of common spatial patterns among courtyards in the vernacular courtyard houses of the Gulf, attributing it to the similar socio-cultural context, the climatic effect, and the architectural and construction knowledge of the region. This study utilizes a collection of courtyard houses from the Gulf as a pilot study to investigate the emerging patterns in the spatial analysis and room layout, or in the distribution of activities or functions in the domestic space. It, therefore, offers a visual analysis (VGA) of six regional courtyard houses from each Gulf country that were built during the period 1850–1950. This study anticipates an affirmation of a direct inscription of socio-cultural factors in the spatial form of the courtyard house in the Gulf. Conclusively, a sustainable, organic linkage between architecture and society exists where the three criteria of housing spatial form, socio-cultural factors, and system of activities interact. Full article

During the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), organized under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and hosted by the United Arab Emirates, member nations reached a global agreement to begin transitioning away from fossil fuel dependence, forcing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to balance their commitment to a green transition with the need to secure short-term energy supplies. This study highlights the challenges facing the GCC’s efforts to expand renewable energy, even as the region continues to have a significant influence over international energy markets. This study utilizes dynamic panel estimation over the period 2003 to 2022, focusing on the core pillars of the Energy Transition Index to analyze the evolving renewable energy use in the GCC. The results present a clear and optimistic perspective on the region’s renewable energy prospects. Despite the continued dependence on fossil fuels, the findings indicate that, if effectively managed, oil and gas revenues can serve as strategic instruments to support the transition toward cleaner energy sources. These insights offer policymakers robust guidance for long-term energy planning and highlight the critical importance of international collaboration in advancing the GCC’s sustainable energy transition. Full article

This study critically examines the rapid proliferation of megaprojects across the Arab region, with a focus on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, where large-scale developments are strategically deployed to reshape global economic influence and enhance geopolitical positioning. Megaprojects, characterized by their vast scale, substantial financial investment, and long-term impact, remain a subject of intense academic debate. While much of the literature questions their economic viability, citing frequent cost overruns and misalignment with localized urban priorities, megaprojects continue to emerge worldwide. Governments and developers promote megaprojects as catalysts for foreign investment, tourism growth, and enhancing the global stature of host countries and regions. Beyond financial and economic imperatives, megaprojects are fundamentally shaped by socio-spatial, socio-political, and capital accumulation dynamics, each playing a critical role in their justification and implementation. These interconnected forces influence the prioritization of large-scale developments, often reinforcing their persistence as dominant urban and infrastructural strategies despite well-documented uncertainties and risks. The study employs a comparative case study approach to analyze two high-profile megaprojects: Masdar City in Abu Dhabi and The Line in NEOM, Saudi Arabia. By examining their underlying motivations, political, social, and economic dynamics, and projected success factors, the study aims to provide an evidence-based assessment of the forces driving these large-scale developments and their potential for completion and long-term viability. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on megaproject development by offering a nuanced, evidence-based analysis of the socio-political and economic forces shaping large-scale urban initiatives in the Arab region. By critically evaluating the motivations and viability of Masdar City and The Line, this research provides valuable insights that can inform future scholarly inquiries into the governance, planning, and long-term sustainability of megaprojects. The Study offers a strategic framework for policymakers, urban planners, and investors to make more informed, balanced decisions that align large-scale developments with broader economic and social priorities, mitigating risks associated with cost overruns, feasibility challenges, and socio-spatial disparities. Full article

Hirsutism, characterized by excessive terminal hair growth in androgen-sensitive areas, presents significant medical and psychosocial challenges in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This narrative review explores the epidemiology, endocrine factors, molecular basis of pathophysiology, cultural influences, and management approaches to hirsutism within the GCC. Regional factors such as consanguinity, rising obesity rates, and lifestyle habits contribute to a higher prevalence of hirsutism and related endocrine disorders, particularly polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Cultural stigmas surrounding body hair further delay diagnosis and treatment, compounding psychological distress. The review examines the role of androgen excess, genetic susceptibility, and emerging molecular insights, including epigenetic dysregulations. Diagnostic limitations and the need for region-specific screening tools are discussed, alongside the current reliance on pharmacological, cosmetic, and traditional therapies. Public health initiatives targeting stigma reduction and early detection are emphasized. Future recommendations include culturally tailored research, enhanced public awareness, and the adoption of advanced diagnostic strategies to improve patient outcomes. This review aims to guide healthcare practices and inform policy development for the better management of hirsutism in the GCC context. Full article

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has faced challenges like political instability and economic fluctuations, which have impacted non-performing loans (NPL) levels. At the same time, over the years, reforms and regulations have encouraged stronger board structures to enhance corporate governance and improve risk management. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how board characteristics affect non-performing in the MENA region. Board characteristics shape governance quality, which influences risk management and reduces banks’ risk-taking behaviours. Hence, effective governance can reduce non-performing loans by improving oversight and credit decisions. To this end, we used a sample of 70 banks operating in 12 countries in the MENA region from 2010 to 2022. The System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM) was employed as an empirical technique. To benefit from a comparative analysis, we divided the entire sample into two subsamples. The first subsample covers six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with 42 banks. The second subsample is also relative to six non-Gulf Cooperation Council (non-GCC) countries with 28 banks. The empirical findings indicate that the presence of independent board members, a higher number of female board members, board remuneration, and the board index decrease NPLs across all regions, including MENA, GCC, and non-GCC. However, we found that board size, tenure, and duality increase NPLs. The results of this paper are beneficial for both policymakers and bankers, as they provide insights into how governance through board characteristics influences credit risk. These results support better decision-making in board appointments and governance practices to improve risk management and reduce non-performing loans. Full article

Stock returns are a critical aspect of investment decisions, and understanding whether climate change commitment influences stock returns is essential for informed decision-making. This paper investigates the impact of climate change commitment on the stock returns in the GCC countries for non-financial companies during the period of 2010–2023. The sample consisted of a total of 285 companies collected using the Refinitiv Eikon platform. The developed model was estimated using panel GMM regression. The results suggested that when companies reported their climate change commitment, it was appreciated by high demand for their stock and in turn caused the stock return to be higher. In addition, profitability and growth affect stock returns significantly positively, and this implies that investors concentrate on whether the company has higher profits and better growth prospects to demand more shares, and this affects the share prices positively. In addition, the size of a company has been found to affect the stock return positively, and this suggests that investors in the GCC feel confident in demanding the shares of large companies. Moreover, the results showed that leverage significantly negatively affects stock return, and this implies that investors interpret the position of highly leveraged companies to be bad due to worries that companies will not be able to service their loans. Such results might help investors to formulate their investment strategies and select their shares based on significant determinants. Finally, our results hold based on the reported robustness of results. Full article

Over the past decade, the debate on the microeconomic effects of financial inclusion has intensified, with a growing body of research exploring how access to financial services impacts banks’ behaviors. Studying the effect of financial inclusion on bank risk is crucial because it helps understand how expanding access to financial services influences exposure to bank risks. This study explores the impact of financial inclusion on credit risk, measured by non-performing loans (NPLs), and liquidity risk measured by the loan-to-deposit (LTD) ratio in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The analysis is based on a sample of 74 banks observed between 2010 and 2021, and uses the System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM). To conduct a comparative analysis, the whole sample is divided into two groups: the first includes GCC countries, while the second consists of non-Gulf Cooperation Council countries (NGCC). This sensitivity analysis was justified by several economic, financial, social, and regulatory differences between these two groups of countries. The findings reveal that across the MENA region and the two sub-regions, financial inclusion significantly reduces liquidity risk. However, it increases the level of NPLs in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Furthermore, findings indicate that banks in the MENA region and the GCC countries benefit from an interaction between financial inclusion and liquidity since it significantly reduces the level of NPLs. Finally, the analysis shows that financial inclusion does not play a moderating role in the relationship between credit and liquidity risks in the NGCC countries. Full article

In recent years, the importance of developing the tourism sector and diversifying income sources has grown in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This paper estimates the impact of tourism industry development on income equality in the GCC region from the first quarter of 2014 to the fourth quarter of 2023. Furthermore, this paper evaluates the existence of the Kuznets curve and its implications for income distribution. To achieve these objectives, this study employs panel cointegration tests and the cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) model. The dataset combines quarterly data from the World Bank and national statistical agencies, including indicators such as tourism revenue, international arrivals, government effectiveness, and education expenditure (used as a proxy for income equality). The results indicate that tourism revenue (TOU) has a significant and positive long-run effect on income equality (0.14%). In the short run, the squared term of tourism revenue (TOU2) becomes significant and positive (0.01%), but the findings do not support the Kuznets curve hypothesis. Furthermore, the number of international travelers (TRAV) has a negative and significant effect in the long run, while government effectiveness (GE) is negative and significant in both the long and short run. A key limitation of the study lies in the use of education expenditure as a proxy for income equality, due to the unavailability of consistent inequality metrics across the GCC countries. Full article

This paper empirically investigated the impact of climate governance on the relationship between ESG reporting and firm profitability. The collected sample is all the nonfinancial companies in Europe and Gulf countries during the period 2010–2023. All the data have been gathered from Refinitiv Eikon Platform (LSEG), annual reports, and the different stock exchanges. The panel GMM regression has been used to estimate the relationship to deal with the endogeneity problem. The findings revealed that ESG, board independence, growth, inflation, and GDP had a favorable impact on company performance in Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council, but board meetings had a negative impact. The results indicate a notable difference in the influence of board size on companies’ performance. Within the GCC framework, an enlarged board size adversely impacts profitability, potentially attributable to inefficiencies or protracted decision-making. In Europe, a larger board size positively influences outcomes, possibly due to robust regulatory frameworks, more diversity of expertise, and improved strategic oversight. The findings demonstrate that company size positively influences performance in the GCC, indicating that larger firms gain advantages from economies of scale, enhanced market positioning, and improved access to resources in the area. In Europe, firm size adversely affects performance, likely due to increased operational difficulties, legal obligations, and potential inefficiencies linked to managing huge organizations. Based on the robust results reported, our results hold. Full article

Background and Aim: This systematic scoping review examines rabies-related incidents, interventions, and post-exposure immunoprophylaxis in the Arabian Gulf region and Saudi Arabian Peninsula. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in databases including PubMed, Scopus, WoS, MedLine, and Cochrane Library up to July 2024. Studies were included discussing the reported cases of rabies that received the PEP in all countries of the Arabian Gulf, their epidemiological data, the received schedules of vaccination, and their safety. The search was done by using the following terminologies: rabies vaccine, rabies human diploid cell vaccine, vaccine, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Southwest Asia, Iran, West Asia, Western Asia, Persian Gulf, Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Ajam, Saudi Arabian Peninsula, and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results: The systematic scoping review included 36 studies, synthesizing findings from diverse research designs, including large-scale cross-sectional studies and case reports, spanning nearly three decades. Findings indicated that young males in urban areas are most at risk for animal bites, predominantly from domestic dogs and cats. While post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) was generally administered within recommended timeframes, vaccination completion rates varied. Conclusions: The review highlighted gaps in public awareness about rabies risks and prevention. Vaccine safety profiles were generally favorable, with mostly mild-to-moderate side effects reported. The study underscores the need for enhanced public health education, standardized PEP protocols, and a One Health approach to rabies prevention. Full article

Objectives: The study evaluated the impact of revascularization procedures, including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), during the index hospitalization on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in the Arabian Gulf. Methods: Data were analyzed from 1820 consecutive patients diagnosed with NSTEMI, admitted to 29 hospitals in four Arabian Gulf countries from January 2012 to January 2013, and who were discharged alive. Results: Of the patients, 29.1% (n = 529) underwent either PCI (89.8%; n = 475) or CABG (10.2%; n = 54). The matching method (288 PCI/CABG patients were matched with 762 controls that did not undergo PCI/CABG) revealed significant reductions in MACE events among patients who had undergone PCI/CABG (25% vs. 43%; p < 0.001). This decrease was consistent across individual MACE components, including stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) (2.4% vs. 7.0%; p = 0.005), all-cause mortality (4.5% vs. 7.0%; p < 0.001) and cardiac-related readmissions (20% vs. 31%; p = 0.001) but not reinfarction (1.7% vs. 1.4%; p = 0.73). Conclusions: The revascularization procedures, PCI/CABG, were associated with significant reductions in annual MACE event rates, specifically lower stroke/TIA, all-cause mortality and cardiac-related readmissions. Full article