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Article: "Economics 101: Should GCC states nudge their citizens?"

4/29/2017

Published in The National

In 2008, the University of Chicago economist Richard Thaler and the Harvard scholar Cass Sunstein coauthored a book title Nudge, wherein they described novel research on changing people’s behaviour. The book’s success has led to the establishment of governmental behavioural science units in many leading economies, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, as well the GCC. What is nudging, and should GCC countries embrace it?

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Article: "Economics 101: GCC has choice on what health system to emulate"

4/22/2017

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Published in The National

In 2014, the Commonwealth Fund, a health think tank, compared the healthcare systems of 11 wealthy countries. Its findings offer insights for the Arabian Gulf countries, which are seeking to reform their own health care in response to rapidly growing and ageing populations.

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Article: "Bahrain Beckons Tourists as It Diversifies Its Economy"

4/20/2017

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Published on The Bridge Blog (AGSIW)
النسخة العربية أدناه

Augustine of Hippo once remarked: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” In the last few years, the Bahraini government has launched a multipronged strategy to ensure that the kingdom’s page is more frequently read by the world’s travelers. Can it succeed in a region riddled with security threats?

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علق "أغستين ذو هيبو" بالقول: "إن العالم كتاب، ومن لا يسافر فإنه لا يقرأ إلّا صفحة". وفي السنوات الأخيرة، أطلقت الحكومة البحرينية استراتيجية متعددة الأبعاد لضمان تزايد قراءات المسافرين العالميين لصفحة المملكة. هل يجوز النجاح في إقليم مليء بالتهديدات الأمنية؟

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Quotation: "OPEC faces ‘lose-lose’ decision on extending oil production curbs"

4/18/2017

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Published on MarketWatch

In the absence of shale oil, Omar Al-Ubaydli, a program director at the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies, said he believes oil producers would agree to extend the output cut deal.

But if the extension is secured, U.S. shale-oil will continue to expand, he said.

“I believe that [OPEC has] underestimated the positive reaction from shale oil, and that in light of this, I would say the likelihood of an extension is around 40%, heading downward,” said Al-Ubaydli
Still, “in an attempt to maintain market confidence, rather than doing ‘no deal’, they may do a reworked deal to project unity,” he said.

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Article: "Economics 101: Privatising health care comes with regulatory challenges"

4/15/2017

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Published in The National

Health care in the GCC has traditionally been dominated by public treatment facilities. Demographic changes are driving an expected annual growth rate of 12 per cent in the industry for the period 2015-20. Falling oil prices – combined with a desire to leverage the potentially efficiency-enhancing properties of market competition – have made all GCC governments target a larger private sector role for health care as part of their economic visions. What regulatory challenges are authorities likely to face as the role of market forces expand?

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Article: "Economics 101: Should GCC states nudge their citizens?"

Article: "Economics 101: GCC has choice on what health system to emulate"

Article: "Bahrain Beckons Tourists as It Diversifies Its Economy"

Quotation: "OPEC faces ‘lose-lose’ decision on extending oil production curbs"

Article: "Economics 101: Privatising health care comes with regulatory challenges"

Omar Al-Ubaydli

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