Instruments of energy subsidy reforms in Arab countries — The case of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries

© 2019 Energy subsidies can account for a large share of government expenditures in some GCC countries. In light of fiscal imbalances since 2014, these countries have reiterated their intention to decrease subsidies and substitute them with more targeted support systems. This paper briefly outlines the extent of energy subsidies. The scope and the drivers of the subsidy reform agenda are outlined, citing recent literature. Some instruments are explained such as adjustment of electricity or water tariffs, increasing of fuel prices, and compensation of citizens through cash transfers. However, the adopted reforms are not yet comprehensive and do not alter the social contract of rentier states

Comparative scorecard assessment of urban water pricing policies-The case of Jordan and Iran

Urban water pricing is becoming increasingly important due to the rapid rate of urbanization and the expansion of water reclamation and reuse. The mounting evidence of failures of current pricing schemes makes analyzing their performance essential for understanding the adequacy of economic and sustainability policies in water management. However, urban water pricing policies are complex, serve multiple objectives, and vary widely across regions and countries. This paper presents an assessment framework for urban water pricing policies based on common conditions advocated for well-functioning pricing policies. Using a simplified scorecard, it compares the performance of urban water pricing policies in Jordan and Iran, two countries under growing scarcity pressure. Both countries show serious deficiencies with regard to the economic valuation of water services and the cost recovery of utilities. Public policies are rather oriented towards access and affordability, with Jordan showing a higher level of transparency and competition in tariff-setting. The assessment tool indicates a high potential for experience-sharing in future reforms, which should promote water as a scarce good. Such reforms need to prioritize full cost valuation, participation, and scientifically based designs of local and regional water tariffs.The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library.Scopu

Solar energy farming as a development innovation for vulnerable water basins

In vulnerable water basins, unregulated access to solar energy and groundwater can threaten water security through increased abstractions. Public and development agencies are therefore exploring options to provide farmers with additional income from solar farming while protecting groundwater resources. Solar energy farming is combined with attractive purchase guarantees in order to encourage farmers to efficiently use solar energy on-farm and sell the energy excess. This article evaluates a project from the Azraq Basin in Jordan, and presents similar international experiences, particularly from India. It assesses solar energy farming as an innovation from a water-energy-food nexus perspective

Too big to handle, too important to abandon: Reforming Sudan's Gezira scheme

© 2020 The Authors Participatory irrigation management (PIM) has been broadly promoted by public administrators and donor organizations. The reasons for this push include performance failures of state-controlled irrigation schemes and the need to improve irrigation productivity for meeting rising food demands. A popular reform for increasing participation and ownership is represented by Irrigation Management Transfers (IMTs). IMTs mean replacing the government with the civil society (farmers) in irrigation management, and they go beyond working with the public sector as in PIM. These widely implemented reforms produced mixed experiences. Besides, the evaluation of IMT cases is reliant on scarce quantitative data. IMTs are also difficult to replicate due to methodological issues. However, qualitative research can engage with stakeholders’ perceptions and narratives, especially the most relevant target group, namely farmers. We provide in this study stakeholders’ opinions and attitudes towards several waves of IMT reforms in the Gezira scheme in Sudan. This mega-scheme is of high developmental and socio-cultural importance for the country ever since the independence from the British Empire. Using a perception survey and in-depth interviews with key informants, we illustrate the failure legacies to reform the Gezira scheme by enhancing farmers’ participation through Water User Associations (WUAs). While both farmers and experts have suggested a poor implementation, inadequate farmers’ involvement and unclear objectives of the reforms, the reforms’ recurrent failures are explained within complex historic and political contexts. There are long-standing legacies of development missteps of the Gezira scheme, with no clear and ultimate triggers of performance deterioration. Besides, splits in professional cultures, power imbalances, political instrumentalization (of farmers) and the lack of farmers’ awareness or capacities are salient factors for understanding the poor state of the Gezira scheme. It is difficult for stand-alone irrigation management reforms to be successful. Such reforms need to be embedded within a comprehensive policy package that prioritizes irrigation governance and proposes sound regulations based on clear roles, consensus-making and prior consultation

Disentangling the SDGs agenda in the GCC region: Priority targets and core areas for environmental action

The agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a key international outcome for guiding development efforts of nation states. However, SDG targets cover vast areas of action, and they are difficult to break down and monitor for countries with different developmental situations and needs. Often, global rankings of countries’ compliance with the SDG agenda are plagued with false signals and methodological limitations. This paper presents a much-needed prioritization of the SDG targets for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It maps SDG targets and outlines priorities and key areas for environmental action. Sustainability in resource use, consumption and production constitutes a primary area for investments. Education and awareness represent cross-cutting priorities and low-hanging fruit for action. Tackling climate change and emerging supply risks and the management of ecosystems represent an action area in which GCC governments can intensify their interventions. As a supporting policy, regional environmental cooperation is important for enhanced commitments and tackling transboundary aspects of the SDG agenda. The analysis of the SDG agenda in the GCC regions reiterates the importance of countries engaging with global sustainability framings in order work out their own interpretations in congruence with national development realities. Such an SDG regional mapping exercise also assists national-level planners or regional bodies working on development issues in shaping the Gulf region’s engagement with the global sustainability agenda and tracking progress on key SDG priorities.Qatar National Library funded the publication of this article

Caught off guard and beaten: The Ukraine war and food security in the Middle East

The Ukraine war has led to a severe global food crisis due to complex supply disruptions and price increases of agricultural inputs. Countries of the Middle East have been directly affected because of their high dependence on food imports from Russia and Ukraine. Furthermore, this food crisis comes at times of high baseline vulnerability due to the compound impacts of COVID-19, repeated food shocks, and weakened states due to political-economic difficulties. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the food-related vulnerability of Middle Eastern countries in the wake of the Ukraine war. It contextualizes the varying impacts of this crisis in the region, and highlights country-level response strategies. The analysis shows a concerning and deepened crisis in the case of highly exposed and politically fragile countries with weakened food sectors; e.g., Lebanon, Sudan, and Yemen. Political-economic instabilities, limited domestic agriculture, and the lack of reliable grain reserves have aggravated the current food crisis in some countries. At the same time, indigenous short-term responses related to regional aid and cooperation have emerged, particularly in the Gulf countries, which have witnessed soaring revenues from higher energy prices. Alongside more regional frameworks for collaboration on food security, future action to mitigate such food crises should include the strengthening of local sustainable agriculture, storage capacities, and grain procurement strategies from international suppliers.Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library

White knight or partner of choice? The Ukraine war and the role of the Middle East in the energy security of Europe

The Ukraine war has forced Europe to redefine its energy security policies towards more diversification and less reliance on Russian energy. As an energy-rich and relatively close region, the Middle East can play a potentially important role in Europe's future energy security. However, a short-term and static view on the Middle East's readiness as Europe's energy partner conceals the dynamic nature of Europe's external policy towards this region. Closer energy cooperation with the Middle East requires a holistic approach and informed strategies that consider the realities and perspectives of energy-exporting countries. This paper provides an analysis of the role of the Middle East in Europe's energy security by considering political economic factors such as capacity, domestic reforms, and long-term supply reliability. Using a perspective based on international political economy, long-term strategies for energy cooperation between the Middle East and Europe are highlighted. Integration with North Africa's energy markets and infrastructure can deliver energy supplies and foster energy transition in Europe and the Middle East. Oil diplomacy with Gulf countries is necessary for price stability and the compensation of oil supplies for Europe. Finally, there are opportunities for European countries to strengthen energy trade partnerships (particularly with Qatar) and thus become more involved in the interstate competition for the abundant gas supplies of the Middle East. Europe's energy rapprochement with the Middle East solicits a re-examination of EU external energy policies in order to achieve more long-term and mutually beneficial energy cooperation

Participation modes and diplomacy of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries towards the global sustainability agenda

After decades of reluctance, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are now more engaged within the global sustainability agenda. Though they historically sought to coordinate strategies, differences in environmental diplomacy and participation modes currently exist. This article examines these differences and links diplomacy to political and economic considerations during different eras. It maps positions, activism in multilateral agreements, and investigates recent changes in light of increased domestic pressures and the rise of formalised national visions. The increased global environmental engagement of GCC countries can yield better outcomes, but environmental pillars do not feature highly in their current visions

Beyond the pledges: reflections on sustainability transitions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region

The adoption of the SDGs is a step, not a success. (James 2015) On 1 January 2016, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) paving the way towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development became effective, after being adopted by world leaders at a UN General Assembly held in September 2015. States gave themselves the next 15 years to take concrete action towards achieving these new universally applicable goals. Yet to date, it is evident that there remains a discrepancy between the rate of global progress and the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda (UN 2018). We need to move beyond the initial euphoria of endorsement that occurred in September 2015 and focus on what needs to be done to realise the sustainability agenda in the most effective context-relevant ways, given the various different regions. This places a critical responsibility on researchers, policymakers, and practitioners worldwide to take stock of where things stand and the road ahead

Sustainable development in the Arab world–is the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region fit for the challenge?

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and the wider Arab world are faced with multiple interconnected dilemmas embedded in the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainable development. The question of how to design effective sustainability strategies that are aligned with the context of the GCC region is a relevant one. In this special issue, contributors have investigated the obstacles to sustainable development in the GCC region, the impact of current development patterns on the sustainability agenda, and the way in which countries react to local, regional, and global sustainability pressures and debates. The issue aimed to provide a platform for academics to present policy-relevant research and practical steps being taken towards realising genuine sustainable development within the GCC region, while teasing out the major obstacles to this process. This regional focus is motivated by the shared challenge of GCC countries of reforming carbon-based economies as well as their systems of high subsidisation and universal benefits in order to incorporate sustainable concerns, merit-based rules, and more targeted policies. While these challenges are shared with other Arab countries, as well as other countries exporting oil and gas, the origins, current patterns, and future directions of sustainability reforms in the GCC region reveal interesting lessons to be learnt