Science, Development, and Sovereignty in the Arab World

Zahlan, A. B.

doi:10.1057/9781137020987

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…It was addressed by several previous studies in the Arab literature that focused on the weaknesses of the institutional dimension of innovation systems and the knowledge economy from a national perspective (cf. Zahlan, 2012;Aubert and Refers, 2003;Driouchi andDjeflat, 2002, 2010;Oukil, 2011;Andersson and Djeflat, 2013;Bizri, 2013). In our view, one innovative aspect of this research is the concentration on the institutional dimension from a regional perspective, which even addresses the reasons why institutions are not working and substantiates a special emphasis on institutional settings necessary for enhancing efficient systems of innovation in the Arab region.…”

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confidence: 72%

“…For instance, our analysis focuses on the weaknesses of the institutional dimension of innovation systems from a regional perspective, and therefore differs from previous studies in that literature which have focused on the weaknesses of the institutional dimension of innovation systems and the knowledge economy from a national perspective (cf. Nour, 2011a;Zahlan, 2012;Aubert and Refers, 2003;Driouchi andDjeflat, 2002, 2010;Oukil, 2011;Andersson and Djeflat, 2013;Bizri, 2013). This study adds to the existing work in the Arab literature that provides different interpretations for the impediment factors that inhibit the enhancement of systems of innovation in the Arab region (cf.…”

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confidence: 84%

“…This study adds to the existing work in the Arab literature that provides different interpretations for the impediment factors that inhibit the enhancement of systems of innovation in the Arab region (cf. Zahlan, 2012;Aubert and Refers, 2003;Driouchi andDjeflat, 2002, 2010;Oukil, 2011;Andersson and Djeflat, 2013;Bizri, 2013;Arab States Chapter UNESCO Science Report, 2010;; UNDP-MBAF Arab Knowledge Report (AKR), 2009(AKR), , 2014Nour, 2011aNour, , 2013aNour, , b, 2014a. This research differs from previous research of Nour (2013a, b) in terms of coverage and scope of analysis.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Economic Systems of Innovation in the Arab Region

Nour¹

2016

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confidence: 72%

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confidence: 84%

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confidence: 99%

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Economic Systems of Innovation in the Arab Region

Nour¹

2016

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“…The rate of growth accelerated in some countries (Qatar, Morocco, Egypt) in MENA in the last seven years (Figures B-E in Section C in S1 File). The crucial issue, however, will be to sustain a rising trend that (at least in the past three decades) has proven to be a tough challenge in the region [24]. …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific Wealth in Middle East and North Africa: Productivity, Indigeneity, and Specialty in 1981–2013

Siddiqi¹,

Stoppani²,

Anadón³

et al. 2016

PLoS ONE

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Several developing countries seek to build knowledge-based economies by attempting to expand scientific research capabilities. Characterizing the state and direction of progress in this arena is challenging but important. Here, we employ three metrics: a classical metric of productivity (publications per person), an adapted metric which we denote as Revealed Scientific Advantage (developed from work used to compare publications in scientific fields among countries) to characterize disciplinary specialty, and a new metric, scientific indigeneity (defined as the ratio of publications with domestic corresponding authors) to characterize the locus of scientific activity that also serves as a partial proxy for local absorptive capacity. These metrics—using population and publications data that are available for most countries–allow the characterization of some key features of national scientific enterprise. The trends in productivity and indigeneity when compared across other countries and regions can serve as indicators of strength or fragility in the national research ecosystems, and the trends in specialty can allow regional policy makers to assess the extent to which the areas of focus of research align (or not align) with regional priorities. We apply the metrics to study the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)—a region where science and technology capacity will play a key role in national economic diversification. We analyze 9.8 million publication records between 1981–2013 in 17 countries of MENA from Morocco to Iraq and compare it to selected countries throughout the world. The results show that international collaborators increasingly drove the scientific activity in MENA. The median indigeneity reached 52% in 2013 (indicating that almost half of the corresponding authors were located in foreign countries). Additionally, the regional disciplinary focus in chemical and petroleum engineering is waning with modest growth in the life sciences. We find repeated patterns of stagnation and contraction of scientific activity for several MENA countries contributing to a widening productivity gap on an international comparative yardstick. The results prompt questions about the strength of the developing scientific enterprise and highlight the need for consistent long-term policy for effectively addressing regional challenges with domestic research.

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“…It is important for Arab youths to appreciate the value of science. Embedded in this mindset should be a national pride to actively participate in building research capacity for their own country and not solely rely on the import of this knowledge and the talented professionals who wish to work in the Gulf for a limited period of time (Zahlan, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for Policy Advances in Science and Technology in the Gulf Arab States: The Role for International Partnerships

Hajjar¹,

Moran²,

Siddiqi³

et al. 2014

IJHE

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Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) policies in the Gulf Arab States are as diverse as the individual economies and political processes that characterize its member states. During the past decade, a number of expert review groups have argued that science and technology policy needs to be reformed and revitalized in the Gulf Arab States. Several reports and studies have identified the need to develop and adopt more rigorous plans to raise the level of research and development (R&D) in the region.In several of the Gulf Arab States, policy makers have sought to address this issue through establishment of new "Education Cities" wherein university campuses have been co-located with industrial parks in order to build regional knowledge economies. Many of these initiatives have attracted foreign talent and global R&D firms. Our research aims to understand the etiology of the under-performance of the R & D efforts in the region. In this paper, we report on results obtained from in-person interviews with the Ministers of Education and other educators in the Gulf Arab States. We interviewed experts in the field of science and technology policy in the Gulf region to address the following major questions: 1) how can science (e.g. biomedical, agriculture, engineering) be strengthened in the Gulf Arab States; 2) how effective are the science policies enacted by regional governments in the Gulf, and how can these policies be enhanced; 3) what role do regional or international collaborations play in a research and training network system, and how can these regional partnerships be bolstered; and, 4) how can the international community assist to accelerate progress and reduce the science knowledge gap. Our results show that the under-performance of the Gulf region in science and technology appears to be due to a: 1) lack of early exposure of young adults to science, 2) low perception of the societal value of science, 3) lack of institutional (e.g. university) resources, 4) too few scientists who make science their long-term careers, 5) lack of an integrated, international research network of collaboration, and 6) lack of motivation among students.We also report on our findings regarding the state-of-the-art of the research enterprise, and the strengths and weaknesses of the research and training environment as perceived by educators/administrators in the region.

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Science, Development, and Sovereignty in the Arab World

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

Economic Systems of Innovation in the Arab Region

Economic Systems of Innovation in the Arab Region

Scientific Wealth in Middle East and North Africa: Productivity, Indigeneity, and Specialty in 1981–2013

Prospects for Policy Advances in Science and Technology in the Gulf Arab States: The Role for International Partnerships

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