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This study investigates the link between the economic diversification policies and regional investment strategies of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, focusing on these countries' investment trends in Egypt as a case study. It explores how these investments serve as instruments of economic statecraft for Saudi and Emirati leaders, designed to bolster diversification objectives and address political, economic, and environmental risks. The findings uncover a notable increase in Saudi and Emirati investment in Egypt since the early 2000s. These investments not only prioritize sectors highlighted in their diversification blueprints, such as real estate, finance, and tourism but also extend into agricultural and renewable energy sectors, offering avenues to mitigate climate and environmental challenges. Ultimately, the study concludes that while these regional investments may support domestic diversification endeavors and promote economic integration within the region, they are also underpinned by the geo-economic agendas of Saudi and Emirati leaders, aiming to hedge against political and economic uncertainties. Keywords: Economic Diversification, Sectoral Analysis, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Introduction Since the early 2000s, the oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries underwent two significant economic transformations. The first one was a deliberate policy response to mitigate their heavy [...]

New school models are having a moment. They are receiving favorable media coverage in outlets from the Washington Post to the Wall Street Journal to Good Morning America and tens [...]

This article examines Barack and Michelle Obama's entertainment company, Higher Ground Productions. Founded in 2018, Higher Ground has produced and distributed several films, television programs, and podcasts for Its exclusive streaming partners, Netflix, Spotify, and Audible. Drawing on media-industry analysis, scholarship on representation and politics in streaming media, and cultural studies of mass culture and entertainment, I argue that these streaming companies leverage the Obamas' reputation as popular tastemakers and the pair's diverse coalition of supporters as part of the broader project of building a mass audience. This coalitional audience is based on drawing different demographic groups toward the platform, smoothing over political and identity differences by curating explicitly diverse yet agreeably centristliberal (and thus not partisan or radical) programming, and offering up the Obamas as moguls and curators who enable their host platforms to present themselves as services open to all viewing and listening constituencies. Although the Obamas are sui generis figures in American life, Higher Ground's partnerships tell us much about how contemporary streamers attempt to produce massness in part by positioning themselves as lightly politicized, but not overly controversial, purveyors of sophisticated infotainment., THE FIRST EPISODE OF NETFLIX'S 2022 SERIES THE G WORD WITH ADAM CONOVER, A SATIRICAL documentary examining the US federal government, begins with a self-referential joke. Lying on an office [...]

It's not an everyday occurrence when a community college leader gets a phone call telling them their institution will receive an influx of funding in the millions. But such was [...]

Two leading Chinese companies have announced plans to establish manufacturing plants in Pakistan, with one setting up as a sole entity and the other forming a joint venture with a [...]

FEATURES / [Business Continuity] Make Smarter Investments in Resilient Supply Chains Many companies invest in resilience only after a disruption. Applying the concept of real options can help decision makers [...]

Exchange rate volatility is said to affect domestic investment in either direction. An increase in exchange rate volatility can affect domestic investment negatively since risks are higher, mostly due to volatile prices that are the results of exchange rate volatility. Most previous studies assumed that the response is symmetric. However, one study recently demonstrated that the effects of exchange rate volatility on domestic investment could be asymmetric. We add to this new asymmetry literature by assessing the short-run and long-run effects of exchange rate volatility on domestic investment in eight Asian countries. The linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach of Pesaran et al. (2001) is used to estimate the symmetric effects of exchange rate volatility on investment. We then follow Shin et al.'s (2014) approach of asymmetric cointegration and error-correction modelling to estimate asymmetric effects of exchange rate volatility on investment. The advantage of using both the approaches is that the variables could be a combination of I(0) and I(1), ruling out pre-unit root testing since these are the properties of almost all macroeconomic variables. Another advantage is that both approaches yield short-run and long-run results in one step. These advanced methods are applied to data from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. We find that when a traditional linear and symmetric ARDL investment model was estimated for each of the eight countries in our sample, exchange rate volatility had a significant short-run effects on domestic investment in six countries. The shortrun effects lasted into significant long-run effects only in the cases for Malaysia and Thailand. However, when a nonlinear model was estimated, the short-run asymmetric effects of volatility were found in all the eight countries. The short-run effects lasted into the long run only for Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Thailand. Clearly, more significant effects of exchange rate volatility were established by estimating a nonlinear model which must be attributed to the nonlinear adjustment of exchange rate volatility. These findings provide policy guidelines to investors in these countries as to how and in which direction exchange rate uncertainty will affect their investment decisions. They can then hedge against uncertain exchange rate volatility and maintain a stable investment environment. JEL Classifications: E22, F31 Keywords: Domestic investment; Exchange Rate Volatility, Asymmetry Effects, Asia, Nonlinear ARDL., INTRODUCTION Most of the studies in the literature on the effects of exchange rate volatility have concentrated on the impact of exchange rate volatility on trade flows. (1) This became [...]

Government (public) pensions in the US owned $2.3 trillion in listed equities in 2022. (1) The investment rationale for owning equities--the higher expected return arising from the greater uncertainty of [...]

Objective To assess how the returns on investment from correcting refractive errors and cataracts in low- and middle- income countries compare with the returns from other global development interventions. Methods We adopted two complementary approaches to estimate benefit-cost ratios from eye health investment. First, we systematically searched PubMed[R] and Web of Science[TM] on 14 August 2023 for studies conducted in low-and-middle-income countries, which have measured welfare impacts associated with correcting refractive errors and cataracts. Using benefit-cost analysis, we compared these impacts to costs. Second, we employed an economic modelling analysis to estimate benefit-cost ratios from eye health investments in India. We compared the returns from eye health to returns in other domains across global health and development. Findings We identified 21 studies from 10 countries. Thirteen outcomes highlighted impacts from refractive error correction for school students. From the systematic review, we used 17 out of 33 outcomes for benefit- cost analyses, with the median benefit- cost ratio being 36. The economic modelling approach for India generated benefit-cost ratios ranging from 28 for vision centres to 42 for school eye screening, with an aggregate ratio of 31. Comparing our findings to the typical investment in global development shows that eye health investment returns six times more benefits (median benefit-cost ratio: 36 vs 6). Conclusion Eye health investments provide economic benefits with varying degrees based on the intervention type and location. Our findings underline the importance of incorporating eye health initiatives into broader development strategies for substantial societal returns. Objectif Comparer les retours sur investissement d'une correction des defauts de refraction et des cataractes dans les pays a revenu faible et intermediaire avec ceux d'autres interventions liees au developpement mondial. Methodes Nous avons adopte deux approches complementaires afin d'estimer les rapports couts/avantages d'un investissement dans la sante oculaire. Tout d'abord, nous avons passe au crible PubMed[R] et Web of Science[TM] le 14 aout 2023, a la recherche d'etudes menees dans des pays a revenu faible et intermediaire sur l'impact d'une correction des defauts de refraction et des cataractes, puis nous avons procede a une analyse couts/avantages dans le but de comparer cet impact aux depenses engendrees. Ensuite, nous avons effectue une analyse par modelisation economique afin de determiner les rapports couts/ avantages des investissements dans la sante oculaire en Inde. Enfin, nous avons compare les retours sur investissement dans ce domaine avec ceux d'autres domaines lies a la sante et au developpement a l'echelle mondiale. Resultats Nous avons identifie 21 etudes portant sur 10 pays. Parmi les resultats obtenus, 13 mettaient en evidence l'impact qu'une correction des defauts de refraction representait pour les etudiants. A l'issue de notre revue systematique, nous avons utilise 17 des 33 resultats pour nos analyses couts/avantages, le rapport median s'elevant a 36. Lapproche par modelisation economique pour l'Inde a debouche sur des rapports couts/avantages allant de 28 pour les centres de la vision a 42 pour le depistage des troubles de la vue en milieu scolaire, avec une proportion globale de 31. En comparant nos resultats avec les depenses classiques en matiere de developpement mondial, nous avons constate qu'investir dans la sante oculaire permettait de multiplier les avantages par six (rapport couts/avantages median: 36 contre 6). Conclusion Les investissements dans la sante oculaire s'accompagnent d'avantages economiques a differents niveaux, en fonction du lieu et du type d'intervention. Nos resultats montrent a quel point l'integration d'initiatives de sante oculaire au sein de strategies de developpement plus vastes est importante dans la realisation de benefices considerables pour la societe. Objetivo Evaluar la rentabilidad de la inversion en la correccion de los defectos de refraccion y las cataratas en los paises de ingresos bajos y medios en comparacion con la rentabilidad de otras intervenciones de desarrollo a escala mundial. Metodos Se adoptaron dos enfoques complementarios para estimar la relacion coste-beneficio de la inversion en salud ocular. En primer lugar, se realizo una busqueda sistematica en PubMed[R] y Web of Science[TM] el 14 de agosto de 2023 sobre estudios realizados en paises de ingresos bajos y medios, que han medido los efectos en el bienestar asociados a la correccion de los errores de refraccion y las cataratas. Mediante el analisis beneficio-coste, se compararon estos efectos con los costes. En segundo lugar, se empleo un analisis de modelos economicos para estimar la relacion beneficio-coste de las inversiones en salud ocular en la India. Asimismo, se compararon las rentabilidades de la salud ocular con las de otros sectores de la salud y el desarrollo mundiales. Resultados Se identificaron 21 estudios de 10 paises. Trece resultados destacaron los efectos de la correccion de los defectos de refraccion en estudiantes. A partir de la revision sistematica, se utilizaron 17 de los 33 resultados para los analisis de beneficio-coste, en los que la mediana de esta relacion fue de 36. El enfoque de modelacion economica para la India genero relaciones beneficio-coste que van de 28 para los centros oftalmologicos a 42 para el cribado ocular en las escuelas, con una relacion agregada de 31. Si se comparan los resultados obtenidos con la inversion tipica en desarrollo mundial, se observa que la inversion en salud ocular genera una rentabilidad seis veces mayor (relacion beneficio-coste mediana: 36 frente a 6). Conclusion Las inversiones en salud ocular aportan beneficios economicos de diversa magnitud segun el tipo de intervencion y la ubicacion. Los resultados obtenidos destacan la importancia de incorporar las iniciativas de salud ocular a estrategias de desarrollo mas amplias para obtener una rentabilidad social significativa., Introduction Although vision impairment affects 2.2 billion people, (1) eye health services are underfunded and undervalued in global health policy. Notably, Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development [...]