economy.
7 pieces filed under economy
The Shopping Festival Is Really Macroeconomic Policy
How the region's grand sales seasons quietly do the work of tourism strategy, monetary stimulus, and city branding all at once
By Marcus Okafor
BusinessJun 28
Free Zones and the Architecture of Ambition
How the special economic zone became the region's signature instrument for importing growth, and where it quietly runs out of road
By Priya Chen
WorldJun 3
The Suitcase Economy of the Arrivals Hall Is Bigger Than the Trade Statistics
Why a quietly enormous category of regional cross-border commerce is moving in passengers' checked baggage, and why nobody who tracks trade data is counting it.
By Mira Faraj
PoliticsDec 2
One Market, Six Flags: The Long Road to a Gulf Single Market
The idea of a unified Gulf economy with seamless trade, shared rules and even a common currency has been pursued for decades with halting results.
By Mira Faraj
BusinessOct 21
Selling the Sand: How Tourism Became a Gulf Pillar
Once a stopover for transit passengers, the Gulf is now building a visitor economy meant to outlast oil itself.
By Diego Arroyo
BusinessJul 19
After the Barrel: Why Gulf States Are Diversifying Away From Oil
The push to build economies beyond crude is older than the headlines suggest, and it is driven by demographics as much as climate.
By Marcus Okafor
BusinessAug 7
Vision 2030, Decoded: What Saudi Arabia's Master Plan Actually Says
Behind the glossy renders and stadium signings sits a sprawling document about weaning a petrostate off oil.
By Lena Holloway