IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bpj/rmeecf/v12y2016i2p139-173n1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Inclusive Economic Institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council States: Current Status and Theoretical Implications

Author

Listed:
  • Kaya Abdullah
  • Tsai I-Tsung

    (Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE)

Abstract

While the social conflict theory (SCT) suggests that absolute monarchies will not tolerate inclusive economic institutions, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have regularly achieved above global average ratings for property rights protection, entry barriers, disruptive wealth redistribution and corruption. This paper discusses the extent to which GCC states have potential to further improve their institutional quality. We explore whether inclusive economic institutions may emerge in GCC states, such as: (1) regional economic integration and competition which alleviate rulers’ capability to expropriate private property and ease entry barriers to the market, (2) rulers of resource rich economies sustain political power with control of natural resources as opposed to the extraction of private property; and (3) prospect of long-term gain for the ruler incentivizes the adoption of a market-based economy. Strong state involvement in manufacturing and the monopoly of some services, the effect of tribalism in economic affairs and the distribution of resources, as well as a sponsorship system for foreign workers in these states may all impede the development of a truly competitive and free economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Kaya Abdullah & Tsai I-Tsung, 2016. "Inclusive Economic Institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council States: Current Status and Theoretical Implications," Review of Middle East Economics and Finance, De Gruyter, vol. 12(2), pages 139-173, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:bpj:rmeecf:v:12:y:2016:i:2:p:139-173:n:1
    DOI: 10.1515/rmeef-2015-0015
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/rmeef-2015-0015
    Download Restriction: For access to full text, subscription to the journal or payment for the individual article is required.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1515/rmeef-2015-0015?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Barth,James R. & Caprio,Gerard & Levine,Ross, 2008. "Rethinking Bank Regulation," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521709309, October.
    2. Acemoglu, Daron & Verdier, Thierry, 1998. "Property Rights, Corruption and the Allocation of Talent: A General Equilibrium Approach," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 108(450), pages 1381-1403, September.
    3. Peter J. Boettke & Christopher J. Coyne & Peter T. Leeson, 2015. "Institutional stickiness and the New Development Economics," Chapters, in: Laura E. Grube & Virgil Henry Storr (ed.), Culture and Economic Action, chapter 6, pages 123-146, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Timothy Besley & Torsten Persson, 2009. "The Origins of State Capacity: Property Rights, Taxation, and Politics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(4), pages 1218-1244, September.
    5. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2001. "The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1369-1401, December.
    6. Dani Rodrik & Arvind Subramanian & Francesco Trebbi, 2004. "Institutions Rule: The Primacy of Institutions Over Geography and Integration in Economic Development," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 131-165, June.
    7. François Facchini, 2010. "Religion, law and development: Islam and Christianity--Why is it in Occident and not in the Orient that man invented the institutions of freedom?," Post-Print hal-00432954, HAL.
    8. Daron Acemoglu, 2008. "Oligarchic Versus Democratic Societies," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 6(1), pages 1-44, March.
    9. Sachs, J-D & Warner, A-M, 1995. "Natural Resource Abundance and Economic Growth," Papers 517a, Harvard - Institute for International Development.
    10. Michael Sturm & Jan Strasky & Petra Adolf & Dominik Peschel, 2008. "The Gulf Cooperation Council countries – economic structures, recent developments and role in the global economy," Occasional Paper Series 92, European Central Bank.
    11. François Facchini, 2013. "Economic freedom in Muslim countries: an explanation using the theory of institutional path dependency," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-00636998, HAL.
    12. Timur Kuran, 1995. "Islamic Economics and the Islamic Subeconomy," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 9(4), pages 155-173, Fall.
    13. Acemoglu, Daron, 2003. "Why not a political Coase theorem? Social conflict, commitment, and politics," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 620-652, December.
    14. Hertog, Steffen, 2013. "The private sector and reform in the Gulf Cooperation Council," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 54398, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Kshetri, Nir & Ajami, Riad, 2008. "Institutional reforms in the Gulf Cooperation Council economies: A conceptual framework," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 300-318, September.
    16. François Facchini, 2011. "Economic freedom in Muslim countries : an explanation using the theory of institutional path dependency," Post-Print halshs-00587694, HAL.
    17. François Facchini, 2013. "Economic Freedom in Muslim Countries: an explanation using the theory of institutional path dependency," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-01286717, HAL.
    18. Acemoglu, Daron & Johnson, Simon & Robinson, James A., 2005. "Institutions as a Fundamental Cause of Long-Run Growth," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 6, pages 385-472, Elsevier.
    19. Mary M. Shirley, 2005. "Institutions and Development," Springer Books, in: Claude Menard & Mary M. Shirley (ed.), Handbook of New Institutional Economics, chapter 24, pages 611-638, Springer.
    20. François Facchini, 2013. "Economic freedom in Muslim countries: an explanation using the theory of institutional path dependency," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 139-167, August.
    21. Joshua C. Hall & Robert A. Lawson, 2014. "Economic Freedom Of The World: An Accounting Of The Literature," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 32(1), pages 1-19, January.
    22. Weingast, Barry R, 1995. "The Economic Role of Political Institutions: Market-Preserving Federalism and Economic Development," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(1), pages 1-31, April.
    23. Jin, Hehui & Qian, Yingyi & Weingast, Barry R., 2005. "Regional decentralization and fiscal incentives: Federalism, Chinese style," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(9-10), pages 1719-1742, September.
    24. Romer, Thomas, 1975. "Individual welfare, majority voting, and the properties of a linear income tax," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 163-185, February.
    25. James A. Robinson & Daron Acemoglu, 2000. "Political Losers as a Barrier to Economic Development," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(2), pages 126-130, May.
    26. Apergis, Nicholas & Payne, James E., 2014. "The oil curse, institutional quality, and growth in MENA countries: Evidence from time-varying cointegration," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 1-9.
    27. Rodrik, Dani, 1986. "Tariffs, subsidies, and welfare with endogenous policy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(3-4), pages 285-299, November.
    28. Samya Beidas-Strom & Mr. Tobias N. Rasmussen & Mr. David Robinson, 2011. "Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC): Enhancing Economic Outcomes in an Uncertain Global Economy," IMF Departmental Papers / Policy Papers 2011/006, International Monetary Fund.
    29. Reda Cherif & Fuad Hasanov, 2014. "Soaring of the Gulf Falcons: Diversification in the GCC Oil Exporters in Seven Propositions," IMF Working Papers 2014/177, International Monetary Fund.
    30. Mr. Erwin H Tiongson & Mr. Hamid R Davoodi & Mr. Sanjeev Gupta, 2000. "Corruption and the Provision of Health Care and Education Services," IMF Working Papers 2000/116, International Monetary Fund.
    31. Clague, Christopher & Keefer, Philip & Knack, Stephen & Olson, Mancur, 1999. "Contract Intensive Money," MPRA Paper 25717, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    32. Mauro, Paolo, 1998. "Corruption and the composition of government expenditure," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 263-279, June.
    33. Kuran, T., 1995. "Islamic Economics and the Islamic Subeconomy," Papers 9505, Southern California - Department of Economics.
    34. James R. Hines, Jr., 1995. "Forbidden Payment: Foreign Bribery and American Business After 1977," NBER Working Papers 5266, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    35. Sturm, Michael & Adolf, Petra & Peschel, Dominik & Stráský, Jan, 2008. "The Gulf Cooperation Council countries: economic structures, recent developments and role in the global economy," Occasional Paper Series 92, European Central Bank.
    36. Clague, Christopher & Keefer, Philip & Knack, Stephen & Olson, Mancur, 1999. "Contract-Intensive Money: Contract Enforcement, Property Rights, and Economic Performance," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 185-211, June.
    37. Francois Facchini, 2010. "Religion, law and development: Islam and Christianity—Why is it in Occident and not in the Orient that man invented the institutions of freedom?," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 103-129, February.
    38. Hvidt, Martin, 2013. "Economic diversification in GCC countries: past record and future trends," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 55252, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tsai, I-Tsung & Mezher, Toufic, 2020. "Rationalizing energy policy reforms in the gulf cooperation council: Implications from an institutional analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Evren Tok, 2020. "The Incentives and Efforts for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in a Resource-Based Economy: A Survey on Perspective of Qatari Residents," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-20, January.
    2. Moamen Gouda & Jerg Gutmann, 2021. "Islamic constitutions and religious minorities," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 186(3), pages 243-265, March.
    3. de Soysa, Indra & Krieger, Tim & Meierrieks, Daniel, 2022. "Oil and property rights," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 79, pages 1-13.
    4. Andrea Asoni, 2008. "Protection Of Property Rights And Growth As Political Equilibria," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(5), pages 953-987, December.
    5. Rok Spruk & Mitja Kovac, 2018. "Inefficient Growth," Review of Economics and Institutions, Università di Perugia, vol. 9(2).
    6. Baland, Jean-Marie & Moene, Karl Ove & Robinson, James A., 2010. "Governance and Development," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Dani Rodrik & Mark Rosenzweig (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 4597-4656, Elsevier.
    7. Abdoul’ Mijiyawa, 2013. "Determinants of property rights institutions: survey of literature and new evidence," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 127-183, May.
    8. Berggren, Niclas & Bjã˜Rnskov, Christian, 2013. "Does religiosity promote property rights and the rule of law?," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(2), pages 161-185, June.
    9. Maria Teresa Balaguer‐Coll & Isabel Narbón‐Perpiñá & Jesús Peiró‐Palomino & Emili Tortosa‐Ausina, 2022. "Quality of government and economic growth at the municipal level: Evidence from Spain," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(1), pages 96-124, January.
    10. Ruba Aljarallah, 2021. "An Analysis of the Impact of Rents from Non-renewable Natural Resources and Changes in Human Capital on Institutional Quality: A Case Study of Kuwait," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(5), pages 224-234.
    11. Mehmet Ugur & David Sunderland, 2011. "Does Economic Governance Matter? New Contributions to the Debate," Chapters, in: Mehmet Ugur & David Sunderland (ed.), Does Economic Governance Matter?, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Fofack, Hippolyte, 2009. "Africa and Arab Gulf states : divergent development paths and prospects for convergence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5025, The World Bank.
    13. Costantini, Valeria & Liberati, Paolo, 2014. "Technology transfer, institutions and development," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 26-48.
    14. Katja Kalkschmied, 2020. "Rebundling Institutions," Graz Economics Papers 2020-03, University of Graz, Department of Economics.
    15. Terra Lawson-Remer, 2011. "Security of Property Rights for Whom?," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2011-083, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    16. Johnson, Noel D. & Koyama, Mark, 2017. "States and economic growth: Capacity and constraints," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 1-20.
    17. Eslamloueyan, Karim & Jafari, Mahbubeh, 2021. "Do high human capital and strong institutions make oil-rich developing countries immune to the oil curse?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    18. Ruba A. Aljarallah & Andrew Angus, 2020. "Dilemma of Natural Resource Abundance: A Case Study of Kuwait," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(1), pages 21582440198, January.
    19. Pessino, Carola & Izquierdo, Alejandro & Vuletin, Guillermo, 2018. "Better Spending for Better Lives: How Latin America and the Caribbean Can Do More with Less," IDB Publications (Books), Inter-American Development Bank, number 9152, March.
    20. Duarte N. Leite & Sandra T. Silva & Oscar Afonso, 2014. "Institutions, Economics And The Development Quest," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 491-515, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bpj:rmeecf:v:12:y:2016:i:2:p:139-173:n:1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.degruyter.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.