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From #Hashtags to Legislation : Engagement and Support for Economic Reforms in the GulfCooperation Council Countries

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  • Arezki,Rabah
  • Belmejdoub,Oussama
  • Diab,Bilal
  • Kalla,Samira
  • Ha Nguyen
  • Saif,Abdulla Fahed Abdulla Ali
  • Yotzov,Ivan Victorov

Abstract

Ownership of reforms by citizens is often presented as important for success. This paperexplores media engagement and support for economic reforms in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries using textanalysis techniques on publicly available sources. The results show that while reform efforts have intensified inrecent years in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, these efforts tend to focus on stronger rather than weakerpolicy areas, potentially limiting the growth-enhancing effect of reforms. Social media analysis using Twitter showsthat the population's support for reforms has been declining. The analysis of traditional news media points tomore engagement by international than by local media. However, sentiment from international media is less positiveabout economic reforms in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Sentiment in international media and social mediamatters, as evidenced by its positive and strong correlation with foreign direct investment inflows into the GulfCooperation Council countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Arezki,Rabah & Belmejdoub,Oussama & Diab,Bilal & Kalla,Samira & Ha Nguyen & Saif,Abdulla Fahed Abdulla Ali & Yotzov,Ivan Victorov, 2022. "From #Hashtags to Legislation : Engagement and Support for Economic Reforms in the GulfCooperation Council Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10090, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10090
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    References listed on IDEAS

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