Transition Economies in the Middle East: the Syrian Experience

There have been no in depth studies of post Socialist transition in the Middle East. Syria’s experience is therefore a useful one to explore given its historically important role in the region. The Socialist economic policy followed in Syria from 1963 to the early 1990s is outlined. The Syrian economic transition was in two phases: an incremental liberalization phase and a transition to Social Market Economy phase. During both phases, Syrian policy makers showed a preference for a gradualist approach to economic transition, rather than a big-bang approach. This was facilitated by oil revenues and subsidies from the Gulf states. The Syrian experience therefore has its own distinct characteristics, as well as elements in common with the transitions in other post Socialist economies

Institutional Reform and FDI Locational Decision in Transition Economies:The Case of Syria

This paper recognises and responds to two major gaps in previous studies on the locational determinants of FDI in transition economies. These are contextual and methodological gaps. In response to the contextual gap, the paper develops the borders of previous research by considering the impact of institutional reform on the locational decision of FDI in transition economies within Syria, which has not been explored empirically hitherto. As regards the methodological gap, the study contributes an open and flexible qualitative research design that can go beyond the borders of the quantitative findings of previous econometric research. The findings reveal that institutional reforms enhanced Syria’s attractiveness to FDI. Yet, further steps are needed to overcome remaining problems in the Syrian institutional investment environment. These problems proved to be less daunting to foreign investors whose backgrounds are culturally close to that of Syria and/or already had experience in Syria or in a similar type of economy

FDI locational determinants in transition economies : an interpretivist perspective : evidence from Syria

In 2005, the Syrian government decided to move from a centrally planned economy to a more market-based one. This research explains why the Syrian government has taken this transitional decision and presents the institutional reforms carried out as a result of this decision. Indeed, it was clear that a major goal of these institutional reforms was attracting more FDI inflows into Syria. This is because FDI can play a vital role in driving economic growth. Therefore, this study explores the extent to which institutional reforms have affected FDI inflows into Syria, which has not been undertaken before in the transition economy of Syria.Since the early 1990s, many researchers have explored the locational determinants of FDI in transition economies. However, these studies were quantitative, mainly econometric. This study is different since, in respect of the transition economy of Syria, it explores the locational determinants of FDI following a qualitative research strategy that is based on a strategic management perspective. Within this, the deductive and the inductive research approaches are integrated to create a more open and flexible research design that can go beyond the borders of the quantitative findings of the previous econometric research. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with thirty key decision makers who were directly involved in making the locational decision of FDI in Syria. The thematic analysis of text, using the template technique, was followed in this study to analyse the conducted interviews.The research’s findings revealed that the Syrian government institutional reforms have enhanced Syria’s attractiveness to FDI. Yet, they also revealed that further steps are needed to overcome the remaining problems in the Syrian institutional investment environment. However, these problems proved to be less daunting to foreign investors who already had experience in Syria or in a similar type economy. The same holds true for investors whose backgrounds were culturally close to that of Syria. Other foreign investors, however, overcame these problems by having a Syrian partner.This study also revealed that institutional factors, although important, were not by themselves sufficient to attract FDI into Syria. Foreign investors also had to have economic motivations to invest in Syria to ensure the profitability and the competitiveness of their FDI projects. In addition, the research also revealed that the economic motivations for FDI in Syria were clearly linked with the institutional reforms taken by the Syrian government. This was because institutional reforms opened the door to FDI, enabling foreign investors to benefit from the economic opportunities now offered by Syria

Transition Economies in the Middle East: the Syrian Experience

There have been no in depth studies of post Socialist transition in the Middle East. Syria’s experience is a useful one to explore given its historically important role in the region and its distinctive characteristics. The Syrian economic transition, from the early 1990s to 2011, was in two phases: an incremental liberalisation phase and a transition to Social Market Economy phase. During both phases, Syrian policy makers showed a preference for a gradualist approach to economic transition, rather than a big-bang approach. This was facilitated by oil revenues and subsidies from the Gulf States. The Syrian experience therefore has its own distinct characteristics, as well as elements in common with the transitions in other post Socialist economies

National Competitive Advantage Perspective of Global Aviation Hubs: The Middle East Big Three

Airports are seen as a crucial component of infrastructure in the construction of modern cities in the Middle East, where aviation is recognized as a top priority in their development strategy. While the airline industry in the Middle has been investigated, there are no studies that explored the region’s successful global aviation hubs from a national competitive advantage perspective. Therefore, this paper examines the macro environmental elements affecting a nation’s competitiveness in the aviation industry using a mixed-methods approach, including Porter’s notion of national competitive advantage and expert views. The analysis shows that while macro environmental factors such as geographical advantage, physical and intellectual infrastructure, and business attractiveness are important for a successful aviation development, they are not necessarily required to guarantee a hub status unless the governments are devoted to developing the sector