A year ago, I presented at Majlis al Khoniji and then again four months ago. Both times I discussed the importance of job creation in the Omani economy and the importance of FDI. I directly referenced Amazon as a potential target for Oman. Seeing the news that Amazon will establish 3 web service data centers in the UAE, reminded me of my discussion.

S01E03 of #CoffeeWithDrA discusses Omani unemployment data and omanisation

من المعروف أن تنفيذ سياسات تتسم بالفاعلية ليس بالأمر السهل، فالاعتماد على سياسات تستند إلى آراء ذاتية في عالم بحاجة ماسة إلى سياسات قائمة على الأدلة، تعدّ واحدة من أكثر المشكلات شيوعًا في عملية صنع السياسات

Effective policy making is difficult! One of the most common issues with policy is the reliance on opinion-based policies in a world that is desperate for evidence-based policies.

عندما تتوفر معلومات وافية في الأسواق، تتمكن الجهات المنتجة من كسب المزيد من المال مقابل سلعها الأعلى جودة، لكن عندما لا تتوفر معلومات وافية في تلك الأسواق تُمكِّن المستهلكَ من معرفة الجودة الحقيقية للسلع المعروضة، تسفر الأسواق عن نتائج غير ناجعة.

Regulators will hinder the overall market if they choose to also be investors. The better option is to separate the investment and regulatory authority.

Data visualization to show job losses and job growth in the United States over the 20 years ending in January 2020

I am creating the Association of Gulf Economists. If you are an economist from the Gulf region, or if your research is concerned with the economics of the Arabian Peninsula, I encourage you to become a member. If you are interested in a leadership position, please reach out to me.

The recent demands by youth seeking employment have increased interest in the state of the labor market in Oman. Attempts to curb the labor market concerns have provided patchwork policy that solves short term concerns but does not address long term outcomes. This report provides analysis of the interdependence of the labor market and public policy. To solve the long-term labor market concerns, it will require…