Kingdom Economy Research Articles

Eye donation from palliative and hospice care contexts: the EDiPPPP mixed-methods study.

Over 2 million people in the United Kingdom are living with sight loss with costs to the United Kingdom economy reported as £4.34 billion annually. Conditions that lead to sight loss and impaired vision can be treated if eye tissue is available for corneal transplantation, reconstructive surgery and research into eye diseases. Supply of eye tissue (only available via eye donation) is currently insufficient to meet demand; therefore, new routes are needed. Hospice and hospital-based Palliative Care Services have been reported as potential donation sources of this tissue. To: (1) scope the size and clinical characteristics of the potential eye donation population from research sites; (2) map the donation climate of each research site; (3) identify factors that enable or challenge service providers to consider the option of eye donation from a local and national perspective; (4) identify service users' views regarding the option of eye donation and the propriety of discussing eye donation; and (5) develop and pilot an empirically based intervention designed to change behaviours in relation to eye donation. A 36-month mixed-methods, multicentre study undertaking three work packages. Three hospice care and three hospital-based palliative care services situated in the North, Midlands and the South of England (one service of each type per region). Work package 1 - 105 service providers. Work package 2 - 62 service users, and 156 service providers in the national survey. Work package 3 - 21 expert consultees (patient and public involvement, cross discipline). Scoping review, retrospective note review, qualitative interviews/focus groups, participant observation, secondary analysis of primary data, national survey, transparent expert consultation. Potential: The retrospective notes review demonstrated that of 1199 deceased patients' notes, 553 (46%) patients met the criteria for eye donation (56%, n = 337 in hospice care service settings and 36%, n = 216 in hospital palliative care service). Practice: Less than 4% of all cases agreed as eligible for donation had been approached or referred for eye donation. Eye donation is not currently an embedded practice at local and national levels. Perceptions: Service providers were motivated to discuss eye donation but lacked opportunity and capability. Service users were willing and able to hold conversations about eye donation but were not aware of the option and had not had the option discussed with them. Preferences: Service users wanted to be offered the option of eye donation, and service providers wanted bespoke education and training related to eye donation. Evaluation of the developed intervention STEPS - Support Toolkit for Eye donation in Palliative care Settings will follow implementation of the full intervention (expected to begin in October 2022). Due to the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical sites, partner organisations and national service providers, only two elements of the developed intervention have been pilot tested for proof of concept and the response rate to the national survey was low (8%). Significant potential exists for eye donation from hospice care and hospital palliative care services; however, individual and organisational behaviour as well as information system-based changes are needed to maximise this potential. Evaluation of the STEPS - Support Toolkit for Eye donation in Palliative care Settings; Research exploring the wider public knowledge and views regarding eye donation; research exploring the use of language by National Health Service Blood and Transplant-Tissue and Eye Services in their public-facing infographics, communications and campaigns (specifically the use of the term eye donation). This trial is registered as ISRCTN14243635: Eye donation from palliative care and hospice care settings. This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (17/49/42) and will be published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 11, No. 20. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Current status and vision of local pharmaceutical industries in Saudi Arabia: The focus on nanomedicines

BackgroundPharmaceutical nanomedicine products are expected to impact the global pharmaceutical market and healthcare system significantly. Since 2000, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have approved over 80 nanomedicine products for marketing; an additional double that number is currently being tested in clinical trials. The nanomedicine market is expected to reach USD 350.8 billion by 2025 from USD 138.8 billion in 2016. This demonstrates the importance of nanotechnology to the delivery of pharmaceuticals. The main benefits of employing nanotechnology to distribute therapeutic agents include reducing the undesired toxicity from non-specific distribution and increasing patient adherence, which can indirectly minimize the burden on the country's healthcare system. Such products are expected to gain a significant economic impact on Saudi Arabia’s pharmaceutical drugs market once they get developed locally. MethodA descriptive and cross-sectional study, including a web-based questionnaire and a complete categorization of pharmaceutical products formed by the national industries in Saudi Arabia, was utilized to investigate the current and future direction of pharmaceutical manufacturing exploiting nanotechnology in the Kingdom. ResultsThe survey showed an apparent lack of willingness within the national pharmaceutical industries, as the majority (≈ 86%) of the leading Saudi companies cannot enable nanotechnology-based medicines in their manufacturing. However, more than 93% of the national pharmaceutical industries, upon the basis of the responses, agreed that the development of pharmaceutical products with nanotechnology is an important step toward solving various complications associated with conventional forms of the available medicine. ConclusionNational pharmaceutical industries in Saudi Arabia will need to get closer to manufacturing nanomedicines by partnering with international pioneer companies. In addition, empowering the local research and development (R&D) centers in nano delivery systems could facilitate translating their R&D outcomes into novel advanced and commercialized products. This could imitate the direction of the global pharmaceutical market and share its revenue which will positively reflect on the Kingdom's economy.

A resilience analysis of the contraction of the accommodation and food service sector on the Scottish food industry

The Scottish economy, such as the United Kingdom (UK) economy, has been exposed to several adverse shocks over the past 5 years. Examples of these are the effect of the United Kingdom exiting the European Union (Brexit), the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently Russia–Ukraine war, which can result in adverse direct and indirect economic losses across various sectors of the economy. These shocks disrupted the food and drink supply chains. The purpose of this article is 3-fold: (1) to explore the degree of resilience of the Scottish food and drink sector, (2) to estimate the effects on interconnected sectors of the economy, and (3) to estimate the economic losses, which is the financial value associated with the reduction in output. This article focuses on the impact that the sudden contraction that the “accommodation and food service activities”, resulting from the pandemic, had on the food and drink sectors. For this analysis, the study relied on the dynamic inoperability input–output model (DIIM), which takes into account the relationships across the different sectors of the Scottish economy over time. The results indicate that the accommodation and food service sector was the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown contracting by approximately 60%. The DIIM shows that the disruption to this sector had a cascading effect on the remaining 17 sectors of the economy. The processed and preserved fish, fruits, and vegetable sector is the least resilient, while preserved meat and meat product sector is the most resilient to the final demand disruption in the accommodation and food service sector. The least economically affected sector was the other food product sector, while the other service sector had the highest economic loss. Although the soft drink sector had a slow recovery rate, economic losses were lower compared to the agricultural, fishery, and forestry sectors. From the policy perspective, stakeholders in the accommodation and food service sector should re-examine the sector and develop capacity against future pandemics. In addition, it is important for economic sectors to collaborate either vertically or horizontally by sharing information and risk to reduce the burden of future disruptions. Finally, the most vulnerable sectors of the economy, i.e., other service sectors should form a major part of government policy decision-making when planning against future pandemics.

Vision 2030 and prospects for network airlines in Saudi Arabia

The air transport industry in Saudi Arabia is experiencing rapid growth of late, fuelled in large part by the Kingdom's Vision 2030 aspirations and national development plan. This ambitious national vision seeks to diversify the Kingdom's economy, and in the process, develop and expand a wide range of industry and public sectors. Central to these plans is air transport, including not only the building of new airports and related transport infrastructure, along with expanding the wider travel and hospitality sectors, but also the launch of a new network airline in 2025 – Riyadh Air. This new airline will join current national flag carrier Saudia, and together they will play central roles in growing both the domestic and international air markets in the Kingdom, mainly out of the two main hubs Riyadh Airport (RUH) and Jeddah Airport (JED). The paper here aims to assess this coming network carrier duopoly, including the future prospects for both airlines as they seek to compete in a region, and indeed globally, against well-established legacy and flag carriers. Evidently, the future of network airlines in KSA could very well shape and determine prospects for the industry more generally for decades to come.

Asymmetric Link between Unemployment, Inflation and GDP growth rate in the United Kingdom Economy: An ARDL Bounds Approach

This paper investigates the relationships between unemployment, inflation, and economic growth in the UK. Quarterly data for the period 1990: Q1 to 2020: Q4. The ARDL bounds test model, Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), and Granger causality test are applied to examine the variables' short-run and long-run causal relationship. Unemployment rate (UR), inflation rate (INFR) and GDP growth rate (GDPGR) as a proxy of economic growth have been taken to study the relationships among unemployment, inflation, and economic growth. The short-run ARDL model in the study suggests that the entire variables (GDPGR, DUR and INFR) have a short-run causal relationship with each other. It follows the economic theories of Okun’s Law and the short-run Philips curve that there is an interrelationship among economic growth, unemployment, and inflation. The ARDL bounds test and VECM findings suggest strong evidence of cointegration between the three variables, which indicates a long-run equilibrium relationship. The pairwise Granger Causality test suggests a bi-directional relationship between economic growth and unemployment and a unidirectional relationship between inflation and economic growth (INFR→GDPGR) and between inflation and unemployment (INFR→DUR). In this case, monetary and fiscal policies may no longer effectively achieve policymakers’ economic growth and development goals.

An Evaluation of the Anti-Fraud Regime in Saudi Arabia from the Islamic Shariah Perspective

The purpose of this article was to look into Saudi anti-fraud legislation and regulations in order to see how consistent the Kingdom's legal system, which is predominantly found on Islamic principles, is with a wide range of criminal and economic infractions. The main laws relating to fraud were described, and numerous types of fraud were examined, in order to attain this purpose. The discourse also necessitated an examination of the Islamic perspective on deception and fraud. The analysis revealed that Shariah law, which is concerned with property protection, incriminates and punishes individuals who obtain wealth by illegal methods, the nature of the sanctions, however, is left to the discretion of rulers and judges. Based on this, Saudi legislators have enacted a set of anti-fraud measures. These laws were examined to see how well they addressed economic crimes in the Kingdom. Anti-fraud legislation establishes a legal and regulatory framework compatible with Islamic Shariah for dealing with fraud and economic crimes, with the goal of protecting the public interest, maintaining integrity, and regulating the Kingdom's economy. The primary goal of this study is to explore the challenges and risks associated with enforcing anti-fraud laws in the context of Islamic justice principles. In this study, a descriptive research design was adopted. The key objective of this study is to determine the nature of the problem and analyze the evidence collected. Because of the lack of secondary data and the rigorous restrictions governing the reporting of fraud incidents in Saudi Arabian financial institutions. The study's hypotheses could not be tested substantively because all assumptions concerning the research findings are far-fetched.

Cost-of-illness for non-underweight binge-eating disorders

PurposeThis study examined economic costs associated with untreated eating disorders (EDs) characterised by regular binge eating in the absence of low weight. Both direct and indirect costs were assessed, reporting a limited societal perspective of economic impact as some costs were not included.MethodsOne hundred and twenty six adults seeking treatment for recurrent binge eating were asked to report impairment associated with an ED. Costs were calculated using 2017 prices, including an examination of variables associated with costs.ResultsEstimated societal costs for the year preceding assessment were £3268.47 (€3758.54) per person. In multivariate analyses, no reliable baseline associates of cost were identified.ConclusionThe economic burden of EDs characterised by regular binge eating is significant, and underscores the need for efficacious and cost-effective treatments. Individuals with binge-eating disorders report work impairment and healthcare use that may cost the United Kingdom economy upwards of £3.5 billion (€4bn) per annum. Further studies should consider academic impairment and the economic impact of EDs on families.Level of evidenceIII: evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case–control analytic studies.

The Crown & The Capitalists, The Ethnic Chinese and the Founding of the Thai Nation by Wasana Wongsurawat

Reviewed by: The Crown & The Capitalists, The Ethnic Chinese and the Founding of the Thai Nation by Wasana Wongsurawat Mala Rajo Sathian The Crown & The Capitalists, The Ethnic Chinese and the Founding of the Thai Nation (2019). by WASANA WONGSURAWAT. Seattle: University of Washington Press and Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books. 216 pp. ISBN 0295746262, 9780295746265 The Crown and The Capitalists examines the making of the Thai nation state through a focus on the ethnic Chinese in Thailand and their association with the Thai court. The changing relations and policies of Thailand towards its largest ethnic minority is scrutinized within a complex trans-national web of European colonial geopolitics, Chinese national politics and Japanese militarism of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The contributions of the Chinese entrepreneur class, from crown traders to European colonial subjects with privileges of extra-territoriality, towards the coffers of the kingdom as well as in fostering Siam-China diplomatic relations largely shaped Siam's policies towards the ethnic Chinese, between the fourth and sixth reigns. Wasana examines these policies from the lens of education, print media, economy, regional diplomacy in the period of the Greater East Asia War and finally the global impact of the Cold War. Each of these themes are discussed in five separate chapters. The monitoring of Chinese education and newspapers discussed in the first two chapters sets the tone for the ensuing anti-Chinese sentiments in the country. Despite the compulsory Education Act, the state faced limitations in providing public education to the masses and private Chinese education compensated for this insufficiency. It produced a part of the manpower for Siam's civil service. Essentially Chinese education through the use of the standard Mandarin created an 'imagined' solidarity with China and its national politics. It was the latter, particularly, the anti-monarchist and republican leanings coming out of China in the post-revolutionary period that displeased the Siamese King Vajiravudh, in turn prompting nationalization of Thai education. The Chinese educated in Siam, including leading capitalists and journalists, began publishing Chinese newspapers in the country. Publisher-owners of these newspapers were also subject to stringent state surveillance. A transnational imagined community is evoked through Chinese language publications that connected host and home over generations and trans-distance. The outcome is a plurality of imagined communities that connected overseas Chinese to their respective ancestral clans in southern China, prompting a provincial 'Nanyang solidarity', while Chinese newspapers, in standard script, connected diaspora Chinese with mainland politics. Diaspora identities became intertwined with both subdialect and Chinese national identities. Chinese newspapers were another turf for rival Chinese capitalists for prominence in the Siamese Chinese community and thus the content reflected different inclinations towards Chinese politics, morphing from reformist, revolutionary to republican nationalist. However despite their slant, ethnic Chinese publishers were alternately wary and strategic in courting the trust of the Thai court. Overseas Chinese in Siam were indeed strong allies of the Thai monarchy, and their involvement in the kingdom's economy profited both parties. In a similar vein, they were also a transnational resource for China's post-war reforms and [End Page 223] development. This prompted demands for ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs to show their undivided loyalty to the nation, pursued through an economic nationalization or Thai-ification policy by Rama VI. The scheme turned propagandist and racial under post revolution Thailand; ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs were targeted, in part to cripple the royalist-elite Chinese clique and their strong control of the national economy. Stoking anti-Chinese sentiments through writings and policies, demonstrated under the sixth reign and People's Party eras, clearly heightened Thai nationalism. It served to validate Thailand's nation building process, inspired by alliance with Japan and its ultra-nationalist model. Japanese imperialism polarized Thai society into various political camps; from Phibun (pro-Japan), Pridi (pro-Allied) to the return of the old royalists led by Seni Pramoj through the Free Thai Movement (US-based, pro-Allied, pro-China camp). With Japan's defeat Thailand reverted to royalist nationalism with strong military alliances. The book underscores the continuity of the royalist clique as a formidable force in Thai politics, albeit a transition from absolutism to constitutional monarchism under the People's Party...

The impact of Covid-19, associated behaviours and policies on the UK economy: A computable general equilibrium model.

We estimate the potential impact of COVID-19 on the United Kingdom economy, including direct disease effects, preventive public actions and associated policies. A sectoral, whole-economy macroeconomic model was linked to a population-wide epidemiological demographic model to assess the potential macroeconomic impact of COVID-19, together with policies to mitigate or suppress the pandemic by means of home quarantine, school closures, social distancing and accompanying business closures.Our simulations indicate that, assuming a clinical attack rate of 48% and a case fatality ratio of 1.5%, COVID-19 alone would impose a direct health-related economic burden of £39.6bn (1.73% of GDP) on the UK economy. Mitigation strategies imposed for 12 weeks reduce case fatalities by 29%, but the total cost to the economy is £308bn (13.5% of GDP); £66bn (2.9% of GDP) of which is attributable to labour lost from working parents during school closures, and £201bn (8.8% of GDP) of which is attributable to business closures. Suppressing the pandemic over a longer period of time may reduce deaths by 95%, but the total cost to the UK economy also increases to £668bn (29.2% of GDP), where £166bn (7.3% of GDP) is attributable to school closures and 502bn (21.9% of GDP) to business closures.Our analyses suggest Covid-19 has the potential to impose unprecedented economic costs on the UK economy, and whilst public actions are necessary to minimise mortality, the duration of school and business closures are key to determining the economic cost. The initial economic support package promised by the UK government may be proportionate to the costs of mitigating Covid-19, but without alternative measures to reduce the scale and duration of school and business closures, the economic support may be insufficient to compensate for longer term suppression of the pandemic which could generate an even greater health impact through major recession.

The perspectives of sustainable development of Jordanian financial sector in current conditions

The Government of Jordan (the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan) accepted quite an ambitious Economic Action Plan for 2019—2020 where the country's development priorities are clearly defined. The plan is aimed at the development and maintenance of a business-friendly environment, reforms on the financial market and in the social and economic field. However, for mitigating the economic effects caused by the regional crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, a sufficient financial support is needed, and the Government wants to get it from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. It is important to note the austerity measures introduced by the Government in May 2018, including an increase in income tax, which resulted in the general strike of major retail store chains and mass riots among the population. Jordan shares borders with two unstable countries: Syria and Iraq. In this regard, all the negative consequences ofwars and conflicts in these countries were an additional burden for the Kingdom's economy. Hence, Jordan must consider the possibility of maintaining its economy not in the projects and Economic Action Plans declared by the Government, but in the geopolitical area. For instance, to restore relationships with Syria and improve relationships with Iraq, develop the activity in the Palestinian territories. Well-considered and balanced political steps are a good approach to solving many local problems, moreover, Jordan has a big potential in the implementation ofvarious innovative approaches.

How does BREXIT affect production patterns of multinational enterprises?

This paper explores how the British exit from the European Union (EU) potentially affects the United Kingdom (UK) economy and the production patterns of multinational enterprises that choose the UK as either a destination market or a gateway to the EU market. Utilizing an extended version of the knowledge-capital model, which includes six types of firms and four countries grouped into market and non-market, simulation analysis reveals that efforts to enhance attractiveness of the UK as a destination market to increase horizontal-type inward foreign direct investment would be a solution to cover losses from reduction in the number of export-platforms.

The rentierization of the United Kingdom economy

There is a growing groundswell of opinion in commentary on the political economy of the Global North that the neoliberal era has seen the forceful (re)emergence of rentier capitalism. This article analyses the case of the UK. Identifying and delineating the predominant forms of contemporary rentierism operating in the UK, and using a range of datasets pertaining to the shape of the national economy, it shows that rentierism in its various guises is today a significant, even dominant, dynamic, in contrast to during the period preceding the neoliberal turn. The article further seeks to account for the ascendancy of the rentier in the UK under neoliberalism, highlighting key developments in the realms of monetary and fiscal policy and policies relating to asset ownership and property rights.

Rebalancing the UK Economy

This paper explores five dimensions in which key aspects of the United Kingdom economy appear to be out of balance. These are: intertemporally; internationally; interpersonally; intergenerationally; and in its allocation of capital. It proceeds to consider possible measures that might help to rectify those imbalances.

Government Debts and Fiscal Deficits in the United Kingdom: A Critical Review

This article intends to examine the issues of public debt and austerity policy in the United Kingdom. It attempts to provide an evaluation of fiscal policy under neoliberalism and to consider the relationship between this policy and the macroeconomic performance of the United Kingdom economy. There also seem to be ambiguities among the policy makers about austerity. Therefore, it seems important to examine the issue of government-imposed austerity policies and fiscal deficits. There is a need to borrow to cover the deficits as there is no inflationary pressure in the United Kingdom. Most democratic solutions against any inflationary pressures are to reduce the money in circulation through higher taxes. This study concludes that increased state intervention, as a means to enhance long-term growth, is crucial for achieving economic stability and greater equality.

Design a prototype reactor for fuel oil production from waste tires using pyrolysis process

Management of waste is a comprehensive challenge that effects the sustainability of eco-friendly and economic improvements. This work intended to design a prototype to produce fuel oil from waste tires by Pyrolysis process. Thus, we are looking for a new source of energy to have a benefit from waste tires which is a hazardous waste, and it causes a real problem for health and environment. In the development of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia which exactly what our government considers, and places as one of the biggest goals that is to find another source for energy in their vision 2030 for kingdom economy’s future. The prototype design is a batch reactor, and a try to achieve the best yield of fuel oil product. The result showed that, the average density of the produced fuel oil is 0.783 g/cc, and it is close to the diesel range, which is between 0.8 to 0.95 g/cc, also it is near the range of natural gasoline, which is between 0.711 to 0.737 g/cc. Consequently, the produced fuel oil is comparable with the diesel and natural gas.

The Taylor Review 2017

The approach of the Taylor Review is based on a single overriding ambition, namely “All work in the United Kingdom economy should be fair and decent with realistic scope for development and fulfilment.” Good work matters because (a) “fairness demands…that people, particularly those on low incomes, have routes to progress in work, have the opportunity to boost their earning power and are treated with respect and decency at work,” (b) “the quality of people’s work is…a major factor in helping p...

TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS IN MODERN CONDITIONS

The history of Russian-Dutch relations dates back to the reign of Ivan the Terrible, when Dutch merchants first appeared in Arkhangelsk. Subsequently, at the end of the XVII centuryPeter I sent to European countries, including Netherlands, the Great Embassy, the results and experience of which played a recognized historical role in his large-scale socio-economic reforms in Russian Empire. At the present stage, Netherlands for Russia is one of the key suppliers of high-tech goods, services, competencies and management technologies mostly in all sectors of national economy, a transit country and a logistics hub for Russian exports, as well as an important partner in the field of cross-border investments. The article also analyzes the features of the Kingdom's economy, its place in global trade and key competitiveness rankings. In recent decades, Netherlands has confidently occupied one of the leading positions in European and world trade, ahead of many major economic partners and competitors. The author concludes that the importance of the progressive development of trade and economic relations with countries such as the Netherlands, cooperation with which has a generally positive impact on the transformation of the Russian economy, contributes to the diversification of exports, investments, attracting advanced competencies and innovations.

Pre and post effects of Brexit polling on United Kingdom economy: an econometrics analysis of transactional change

The prospective through which United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) voted in a referendum to Leave the European Union is known as Brexit. In this research, we discuss the effects of Brexit on United Kingdom economy and to accomplish this task, we have analysed the Pre-Brexit Polling and Post-Brexit Polling economic data and indicators. Different econometric tests are used for analysis and coefficient’s estimation. Three key economic variables are used: Exchange Rate (US dollar to GB Pound), Gold Price and Oil Price. These key variables are famous due to their volatile nature and thus play an important role in the economic growth. The analyses define distinguish effect in coefficients, elements, shocks and attributes on United Kingdom economy by these three key variables in the time frame of Pre and Post Brexit polling.

Saudi Clerics and Shiʿa Islam

Saudi Clerics and Shiʿa Islam

Fuel for thought

Fuel for thought