The Political Economy of the Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds

The Political Economy of the Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds PDF Author: Sara Bazoobandi
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415522226
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
Using four Gulf sovereign wealth funds as case studies - Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - this book examines and analyses the history, governance and structure, and investment strategies of the above mentioned funds, in the context of on-going debates about their transparency. The book discusses how most Gulf sovereign wealth funds were established under colonial rule, and have operated in the global financial system for many decades. With the increase of oil revenues, it goes on to look at how the funds have broadened their asset classes and their institutional development. Debate over the transparency of sovereign wealth funds has highlighted various global practices. Recently, organisational measures have been introduced for calculating possible risks from non-commercial investment incentives of funds, whose politically-driven investment strategies are viewed as potentially a major threat to the national security of their host countries. Highlighting a number of incidents that triggered the transparency debate, the book scrutinises the reaction of some of the Gulf sovereign wealth funds to these recent regulatory codes and strategies. It is a useful contribution to Development, Political Economy and Middle East Studies.

The Political Economy of the Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds

The Political Economy of the Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds PDF Author: Sara Bazoobandi
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415522226
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 210

Get Book

Book Description
Using four Gulf sovereign wealth funds as case studies - Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - this book examines and analyses the history, governance and structure, and investment strategies of the above mentioned funds, in the context of on-going debates about their transparency. The book discusses how most Gulf sovereign wealth funds were established under colonial rule, and have operated in the global financial system for many decades. With the increase of oil revenues, it goes on to look at how the funds have broadened their asset classes and their institutional development. Debate over the transparency of sovereign wealth funds has highlighted various global practices. Recently, organisational measures have been introduced for calculating possible risks from non-commercial investment incentives of funds, whose politically-driven investment strategies are viewed as potentially a major threat to the national security of their host countries. Highlighting a number of incidents that triggered the transparency debate, the book scrutinises the reaction of some of the Gulf sovereign wealth funds to these recent regulatory codes and strategies. It is a useful contribution to Development, Political Economy and Middle East Studies.

Sovereign Wealth Funds and International Political Economy

Sovereign Wealth Funds and International Political Economy PDF Author: Manda Shemirani
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317052153
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
For the first time, Shemirani provides a systematic methodology for the study of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) over their life span and emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in our approach towards the study of state capitalism. Applied in this book to the world's four largest SWFs - Government Pension Fund-Global of Norway, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority of the United Arab Emirates, Temasek of Singapore, and the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation, this methodology can also be applied to other funds or form a basis for further analytical studies of SWFs. In addition to its first hand approach, the book addresses concerns about the lack of transparency by offering insights into the functioning and investment strategies of the selected SWFs. Academics and students in international political economy, international finance and international business as well as financiers, business leaders, and policy makers, will find the subject and the approach of this book highly useful.

The Political Economy of Sovereign Wealth Funds

The Political Economy of Sovereign Wealth Funds PDF Author: Xu Yi-chong
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230290647
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
This book examines the origin, nature, the portfolio, organizational structure and operation of the seven largest SWFs from the perspective of the holding countries. Uniquely it tackles the issues from the perspectives of those non-OECD countries whose access to funds creates the most concern.

The Political Economy of the Persian Gulf

The Political Economy of the Persian Gulf PDF Author: Mehran Kamrava
Publisher: C Hurst & Company Publishers Limited
ISBN: 9781849042093
Category : Persian Gulf Region
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Change occurs rapidly in the Persian Gulf. While some states have capitalised on the fast-paced nature of globalised fiscal transactions and have become important markets for foreign investment, others have fallen victim to such speculations. The 'Dubai Model' of economic diversification is being re-evaluated as the GCC states continue to seek the best means of organizing their economies and competing within the global order. Explaining the different ways in which globalising forces have shaped new dimensions to the political economy of the Persian Gulf states, this book evaluates the changes that have occurred, especially in light of the ongoing global economic crisis. Mutually beneficial rentier arrangements have guided the GCC countries formation of oil-based economies and labor relations in the past, but will this necessarily be the case in the future? This book addresses key issues including discussion on the future demographic aspects of the GCC; the feasibility of establishing a GCC monetary union; the effects of rentierism on state autonomy; and analysis of sovereign wealth funds and Islamic banking models.

Sovereign Wealth Funds

Sovereign Wealth Funds PDF Author: Gordon L. Clark
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691142297
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
The worldwide rise of sovereign wealth funds is emblematic of the ongoing transformation of nation-state economic prospects. Sovereign Wealth Funds maps the global footprints of these financial institutions, examining their governance and investment management, and issues of domestic and international legitimacy. Through a variety of case studies--from the China Investment Corporation to the funds of several Gulf states--the authors show that the forces propelling the adoption and development of sovereign wealth funds vary by country. The authors also show that many of these investment institutions have identifiable commonalities of form and function that match the core institutions of Western financial markets. The authors suggest that the international legitimacy of sovereign wealth funds is based on the degree to which their design and governance match Western expectations about investment management. Undercutting commonplace assumptions about the emerging world of the twenty-first century, the authors demonstrate that even small countries with large and globally oriented sovereign wealth funds are likely to play a significant role in international relations. Sovereign Wealth Funds considers how such financial organizations have altered not only the face of finance, but also the international geopolitical landscape.

The Transformation of the Gulf

The Transformation of the Gulf PDF Author: David Held
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136698396
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 431

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Book Description
This book examines the political, economic and social transformation of the six member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the ways in which these states are both shaping, and being reshaped by, the processes of globalisation. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the volume combines thematic chapters focusing on issues such as globalisation, nationalism and identity, political thinking, and economic diversification and redistributive policymaking with empirical chapters studying specific aspects of reform and change: the emergence of governing markets the rise of Sovereign Wealth Funds Islamic Finance the relationship between energy and sustainability trends in foreign aid donorship, strategic and foreign policy formulation. Contributions from experts in the field provide cutting-edge snapshots of a region in flux and collectively offer a roadmap of its repositioning in the global order, examining the interaction between global processes and internal dynamics of change and resistance that inject new dimensions into debates over the loci of local and global transformations and the manner in which each plays off the other. Situating the Gulf States firmly within their global twenty-first century context, this book will hold particular appeal to theorists of globalisation as well as to scholars of comparative politics, international political economy and area studies.

Shifting Geo-Economic Power of the Gulf

Shifting Geo-Economic Power of the Gulf PDF Author: Bessma Momani
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317055411
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
Bringing together for the first time distinguished Gulf experts to analyse the renewed geo-economic prominence of the Gulf states, this volume investigates some of the 'new power brokers' in the world economy: the oil-exporting states of the Gulf. The Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) members: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, collectively have the largest proven oil reserves in the world and are among the world's largest oil-exporting states. Gulf Arab states are actively pursuing a variety of foreign investment strategies. Some of these investments are being managed by sovereign wealth funds, government investment corporations, and government-controlled companies. This renewed geo-economic status has received a lot of media attention but there has been a dearth of academic study on what this shift in global economic power means for the international economic system. This volume aims to fill this gap with a rigorous scholarly analysis based on primary sources and raw economic data. It brings together the expertise of academics who have devoted their career to careful study of the region and of renowned scholars of international political economy.

Arab Sovereign Wealth Funds and their Political Implications

Arab Sovereign Wealth Funds and their Political Implications PDF Author: Hugo Toledo
Publisher: Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research
ISBN: 994814208X
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 10

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Book Description
The purpose of this paper is to provide a qualitative analysis of the ongoing debate about Arab sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in international financial markets. The analysis concentrates on three aspects: the mixing of politics and financial returns; the potential of SWFs to serve a world stabilization funds; and the future of energy policy in GCC countries given the expected growth of Arab SWFs. The secrecy and the lack of transparency in the management of some SWFs, especially those of GCC countries, have raised eyebrows of prominent politicians from Europe to North America. Fear of the real intentions of these funds when they make investment decisions is at the core of the debate. In response to such concerns, the IMF is proposing the development of a code of conduct for SWFs—an idea that has not been well received, especially by some of the Arab SWFs. While what we have heard in the last few years generally touches on the negative side of SWFs, the current financial crisis has opened doors and provided an opportunity for us to look at another dimension of SWFs. If effectively and efficiently used, SWFs can bring significant benefits by helping stabilize international financial markets. Given their projected growth and importance, especially for GCC countries, stable international financial markets may become a strategic interest for these small economies, which until recently played no relevant role in world financial markets. Finally, the future of energy policy in GCC countries is not to be overlooked. Based on growth estimates, some GCC SWFs will generate higher revenue than oil export sales within less than a decade. Given the significant amounts of money SWFs have invested in Western countries, where economic growth vis-à-vis SWFs growth is in part a function of oil prices, GCC countries may have to eventually re-evaluate the role of oil in their own economies, and designed future steps to ensure the healthy growth of their SWFs. This paper provides a qualitative discussion aimed at offering some reflections that could be used by politicians, regulators, academics, and especially policy makers in order to expand research in this area and be able to derive solid policy recommendations. In addition, it is the wish of the author to help the general public and the non-technical linemen understand the role of SWFs in the political and financial arenas.

The New Post-Oil Arab Gulf

The New Post-Oil Arab Gulf PDF Author: Nabil Sultan
Publisher: Saqi
ISBN: 0863568408
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 155

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Book Description
The sharp increase in oil revenues since 2002 has left the Arab Gulf States with billions of petro-dollars. But how will these countries fare in the post-oil era? The rulers of these states are taking serious measures to ensure the survival of their economies, and indeed their regimes, in a world with scarce mineral resources. This volume explores the extent to which these countries have been and will be able to prepare for the future by transforming themselves into serious international destinations for tourism, finance, healthcare and education. It also considers the implications of failure for the future survival of their regimes. This study will provide food for thought for academi, policy makers and general readers. 'An incisive enquiry into an exciting region, the authors leave no stones unturned. It is bold in its examination of both the history and the crucial changes being wrought throughout the Gulf. The book, which has been fashioned with both detailed knowledge and academic rigour, will be of huge advantage to anyone seeking a practical chart to the region. The contributors have not been restrained in drawing examples of the Gulf States over-reaching themselves to danger points in the economic downturn. The severe lessons learned have been studiously researched. The fresh opportunities, political, economic, social and technological, are concisely considered. No matter where your interests lie, this is a solid foundation from which to build a 'Way Ahead' policy for the region.' -- Charles Wilson, Director of The Consultancy, an international human resources business with Gulf experience

Political, Economic and Financial Country Risk

Political, Economic and Financial Country Risk PDF Author: Mohamed A. Ramady
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 331902177X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
“Decades go by and nothing happens; then weeks go by and decades happen”. This apt saying encapsulates the dramatic convulsions taking place across the Arab world that first erupted in 2011 in Tunisia and which rapidly spread to other countries. These events have affected the lives of ordinary citizens in many more ways than had been intended when the ‘Arab Spring’ broke out, with the endgame still not very clear as demonstrated in countries like Egypt, Syria and Libya. By comparison, with some exceptions, the six countries comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council have been relatively unaffected by the general turbulence and uncertainties lapping around them. However, geopolitical shifts involving global superpower rivalries, combined with revolutionary breakthroughs in the non-conventional hydrocarbon energy sector are threatening to challenge the importance of the Arabian Gulf as the world’s leading suppliers of energy, putting their economies under fiscal stress. The author examines such challenges by: • Providing the first in-depth statistical analytical assessment of the GCC countries using monthly data over the period 2001 -2013 for the three risk categories- economic, financial and political risks- and their sub –components so as to enable policymakers enhance components with low risk , while addressing components with perceived higher risk, • Assessing FDI and capital inflows and outflows before and after the “Arab Spring” , and how to encourage FDI inflows, • Inter –Arab and GCC trade and synergies in power transmission , transportation links and establishing new hubs of centers of manufacturing excellence , • Exploring private sector-led growth models to reduce forecasted unemployment. Being complacent is not an option for the GCC. The aim of the book is that having a better understanding of each of the GCC countries’ individual risk parameters will enable the GCC meet future challenges and reduce the chances of a negative ‘Arab Spring’ occurring in the region. Mohamed Ramady is a Visiting Associate Professor at the Department of Finance and Economics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. His main research interests are the economics of the Middle East and Saudi Arabia in particular, as well as money and banking He also held senior positions with international financial institutions in the Arabian Gulf and Europe.