The Report: Kuwait 2016

The Report: Kuwait 2016 PDF Author: Oxford Business Group
Publisher: Oxford Business Group
ISBN: 1910068659
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Home to the largest per capita reserves and fourth-largest total reserves of crude oil within OPEC, Kuwait’s public finances have suffered in 2016 following the rapid decline in oil prices, which drove oil revenues down from $108.6bn in 2013 to $51.8bn in 2015. Despite this Kuwait has resisted significant budgetary cutbacks: spending levels in 2016 were cut by just 1.6%, and the considerable financial buffers built up from budget surpluses in the years leading up to 2014 are expected to cushion the budget deficit. The country continues to push ahead with key public investments, with Parliament allocating $155bn to the Kuwait Development Plan 2015-20 to fund infrastructure, utilities and housing developments. The plan focuses on further integrating the private sector into areas of the economy traditionally under state control and aims to raise the non-oil sector’s GDP contribution to 64% in 2015-20, up from an average of 45.1% in 2010-13. Elsewhere promising moves are being made to cut state subsidies, with the government opting to liberalise diesel and kerosene prices and reduce subsidies on aviation fuel in January 2015, generating savings equal to 0.3% of GDP.

The Report: Kuwait 2016

The Report: Kuwait 2016 PDF Author: Oxford Business Group
Publisher: Oxford Business Group
ISBN: 1910068659
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Get Book Here

Book Description
Home to the largest per capita reserves and fourth-largest total reserves of crude oil within OPEC, Kuwait’s public finances have suffered in 2016 following the rapid decline in oil prices, which drove oil revenues down from $108.6bn in 2013 to $51.8bn in 2015. Despite this Kuwait has resisted significant budgetary cutbacks: spending levels in 2016 were cut by just 1.6%, and the considerable financial buffers built up from budget surpluses in the years leading up to 2014 are expected to cushion the budget deficit. The country continues to push ahead with key public investments, with Parliament allocating $155bn to the Kuwait Development Plan 2015-20 to fund infrastructure, utilities and housing developments. The plan focuses on further integrating the private sector into areas of the economy traditionally under state control and aims to raise the non-oil sector’s GDP contribution to 64% in 2015-20, up from an average of 45.1% in 2010-13. Elsewhere promising moves are being made to cut state subsidies, with the government opting to liberalise diesel and kerosene prices and reduce subsidies on aviation fuel in January 2015, generating savings equal to 0.3% of GDP.

World Economic Outlook, April 2016

World Economic Outlook, April 2016 PDF Author: International Monetary Fund. Research Dept.
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1498398588
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
Major macroeconomic realignments are affecting prospects differentially across the world’s countries and regions. The April 2016 WEO examines the causes and implications of these realignments—including the slowdown and rebalancing in China, a further decline in commodity prices, a related slowdown in investment and trade, and declining capital flows to emerging market and developing economies—which are generating substantial uncertainty and affecting the outlook for the global economy. Additionally, analytical chapters examine the slowdown in capital flows to emerging market economies since their 2010 peak—its main characteristics, how it compares with past slowdowns, the factors that are driving it, and whether exchange rate flexibility has changed the dynamics of the capital inflow cycle—and assess whether product and labor market reforms can improve the economic outlook in advanced economies, looking at the recent evolution and scope for further reform, the channels through which reforms affect economic activity under strong versus weak economic conditions, reforms’ short- to medium-term macroeconomic effects, and sequencing of reforms and coordination with other policies to maximize their potential quantitative economic benefits. A special feature analyzes in depth the energy transition in an era of low fossil fuel prices.

Online Activism in the Middle East

Online Activism in the Middle East PDF Author: Jon Nordenson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1786731266
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 418

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Book Description
Does the internet facilitate social and political change, or even democratization, in the Middle East? Despite existing research on this subject, there is still no consensus on the importance of social media and online platforms, or on how we are to understand their influence. This book provides empirical analysis of the day-to-day use of online platforms by activists in Egypt and Kuwait. The research evaluates the importance of online platforms for effecting change and establishes a specific framework for doing so. Egypt and Kuwait were chosen because, since the mid-2000s, they have been the most prominent Arab countries in terms of online and offline activism. In the context of Kuwait, Jon Nordenson examines the oppositional youth groups who fought for a constitutional, democratic monarchy in the emirate. In Egypt, focus surrounds the groups and organizations working against sexual violence and sexual harassment. Online Activism in the Middle East shows how and why online platforms are used by activists and identifies the crucial features of successful online campaigns. Egypt and Kuwait are revealed to be authoritarian contexts but where the challenges and possibilities faced by activists are quite different. The comparative nature of this research therefore exposes the context-specific usage of online platforms, separating this from the more general features of online activism. Nordenson demonstrates the power of online activism to create an essential 'counterpublic' that can challenge an authoritarian state and enable excluded groups to fight in ways that are far more difficult to suppress than a demonstration.

The Economics of Renewable Energy in the Gulf

The Economics of Renewable Energy in the Gulf PDF Author: Hisham M. Akhonbay
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429786603
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) has been at the epicenter of global energy markets because of its substantial endowment of hydrocarbons. Yet countries in the region have also stated their intent to be global leaders in renewable energy. This collection explores the drivers for the widespread adoption of renewable energy around the GCC, the need for renewable energy and the policy-economic factors that can create success. All six countries within the GCC have plans to include renewable energy power generation in their energy mix for various reasons including: a growing demand for electricity because of increasing populations, an increasing government fiscal deficit due to inefficient subsidies, the need to diversify the economy and global pressure to meet climate change requirements. However, the decision of when and by how much to introduce renewable energy is fraught with complications. In this book, a stellar cast of regional policy and academic experts explore the reasons behind these renewable energy plans and the potential impediments to success, whether it be the declining cost of producing energy from hydrocarbons, an infrastructure which needs to be updated, social acceptance, lack of financing and even harsh weather. Weighing up all these factors, the book considers the route forward for renewable energy in the Gulf region. The Economics of Renewable Energy in the Gulf offers an excellent examination of the adoption of renewable energy in the area. It will be of great interest to academic researchers and policy makers alike, particularly those working in the areas of energy economics, public policy and international relations.

Energy Kingdoms

Energy Kingdoms PDF Author: Jim Krane
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231548923
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 141

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Book Description
After the discovery of oil in the 1930s, the Gulf monarchies—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Bahrain—went from being among the world’s poorest and most isolated places to some of its most ostentatiously wealthy. To maintain support, the ruling sheikhs provide their subjects with boundless cheap energy, unwittingly leading to some of the highest consumption rates on earth. Today, as summertime temperatures set new records, the Gulf’s rulers find themselves caught in a dilemma: can they curb their profligacy without jeopardizing the survival of some of the world’s last absolute monarchies? In Energy Kingdoms, Jim Krane takes readers inside these monarchies to consider their conundrum. He traces the history of the Gulf states’ energy use and policies, looking in particular at how energy subsidies have distorted demand. Oil exports are the lifeblood of their political-economic systems—and the basis of their strategic importance—but domestic consumption has begun eating into exports while climate change threatens to render their desert region uninhabitable. At risk are the sheikhdoms’ way of life, their relations with their Western protectors, and their political stability in a chaotic region. Backed by rich fieldwork and deep knowledge of the region, Krane expertly lays out the hard choices that Gulf leaders face to keep their states viable.

Routledge Handbook on Arab Media

Routledge Handbook on Arab Media PDF Author: Noureddine Miladi
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429762925
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 510

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Book Description
This handbook provides the first comprehensive reference book in English about the development of mass and social media in all Arab countries. Capturing the historical as well as current developments in the media scene, this collection maps the role of media in social and political movements. Contributors include specialists in the field from North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Each chapter provides an overview of the history, regulatory frameworks and laws governing the press, and socio-political functions of the media. While the geopolitical complexities of the region have been reflected in the expert analyses collectively, the focus is always the local context of each member state. All 38 chapters consider the specific historical, political, and media trajectories in each country, to provide a contextual background and foundation for further study about single states or comparative analysis in two or more Arab states. Capturing significant technological developments and the widespread use of social media, this all-inclusive volume on Arab media is a key resource for students and scholars interested in journalism, media, and Middle East studies.

US-Iran Political and Economic Relations Handbook - Strategic information and Developments

US-Iran Political and Economic Relations Handbook - Strategic information and Developments PDF Author: IBP, Inc.
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1433053322
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
2011 Updated Reprint. Updated Annually. US-Iran Political & Economic Relations Handbook

Advances in Energy and Environment Research

Advances in Energy and Environment Research PDF Author: Bachir Achour
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 135181690X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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Book Description
The 2016 International Conference on Advances in Energy and Environment Research (ICAEER 2016) took place on August 12-14, 2016 in Guangzhou, China. ICAEER 2016 has been a meeting place for innovative academics and industrial experts in the field of energy and environment research. The primary goal of the conference is to promote research and developmental activities in energy and environment research and further to promote scientific information exchange between researchers, developers, engineers, students, and practitioners working all around the world. The conference will be organized every year making it an ideal platform for people to share views and experiences in energy and environment research and related areas. ICAEER 2016 is dedicated to presenting and publishing novel and fundamental advances in energy and environment research fields. Scholars and specialists on ICAEER 2016, originating from over 10 countries or regions, have shared their knowledge and interesting research results. During the conference, an international stage was prepared for the participants to present their theoretical studies and practical applications.

The Report: Bahrain 2017

The Report: Bahrain 2017 PDF Author: Oxford Business Group
Publisher: Oxford Business Group
ISBN: 1910068772
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
Like its Gulf neighbours, Bahrain has continued to offset the effects of the drop in oil prices with a host of measures, including moves towards subsidy reduction, now in place to ease the pressure. Despite the downturn, however, the country has continued to push ahead with many big-ticket projects. Counter-cyclical spending in the energy sector is expected to stand the broader economy in good stead in the years to come, as expansion boosts the country’s refining capacity and provides a reliable supply of fuel for its heavy industries. Indeed, manufacturing continues to play a significant role, with the $3bn project to build a sixth potline for Aluminium Bahrain representing the company’s largest expansion since potline five came on-stream in 2005. The kingdom’s financial sector has long been a dominant player in the region, and despite increasing competition from emerging financial centres in the region, continues to benefit from an advanced regulatory framework, an educated workforce and a relatively low-cost environment.

The Institutional Context of Public–Private Partnerships

The Institutional Context of Public–Private Partnerships PDF Author: Biygautane, Mhamed
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1802200142
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
Based on original empirical data collected from three Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, this engaging book offers comprehensive insights into the institutional environment of public–private partnership (PPP) from a unique and under-explored context.