A Transformative State in the Wake of COVID-19: What Is Needed to Enable Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Education in Qatar?
الملخص
Economic diversification is vital in achieving sustainable economic development, especially
for countries relying on nonrenewable natural resources, such as oil and gas, in the case of the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Moreover, the global crisis caused by the COVID-19
pandemic underscored the significance of boosting resilience to adverse shocks. Indeed, the pandemic
highlighted the need to promote nonhydrocarbon sectors by strengthening the fundamental
pillars of the knowledge-based economy: ICT, innovation, R&D, education, entrepreneurship, and
the economic and institutional regime. The COVID-19 pandemic has also shown how important it
is to mobilize these pillars in record time. Like the other GCC countries, Qatar is seen as a transformative
state, suggesting that, although oil and gas provide its primary export revenue, the government
has also pushed to diversify its economy toward a knowledge-based one. Indeed, in 2019,
hydrocarbons dominated Qatar’s economy, accounting for 90% of government income and 80% of
export profits. However, this reliance exposes Qatar to fluctuations in the global oil and gas markets.
Accordingly, economic diversification has come to the top of the government’s priority list. Preceding
the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar was already in the middle of an economic transition. The economic
crisis caused by the pandemic and the drop in oil prices prompted the Qatari government to
increase its diversification efforts. Qatar has a solid basis for transitioning to a knowledge-based
economy based on its macroeconomic stability, suitable growth rates, and good governance. However,
Qatar confronts several challenges in implementing the structural changes necessary for this
transition. This paper has three objectives. Firstly, it aims to present the pillars of the knowledgebased
economy and their link to the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondly, the paper aims to analyze the
present state of the knowledge-based economy in Qatar, including its strengths, drawbacks, and its
prospect for the future. Finally, the paper presents some structural reform recommendations to enable
innovation, entrepreneurship, and education in Qatar.
المجموعات
- أبحاث فيروس كورونا المستجد (كوفيد-19) [809 items ]
- الشؤون الدولية [160 items ]