The Kuwaiti economy has experienced severe fluctuations in oil revenues since late 1973. The sharp rise and fall in oil prices marks two distinguished periods in the economic history of the oil producers. First, the period 1974-1981, which is regarded by many as the boom years. Second, the period following 1982 when oil prices slumped and the oil producers went into severe receSSIons. Since late 1982, the Kuwaiti economy experienced a sharp tum around due to the fall in oil prices and the reduction in quantities of exports. The future development in Kuwait would, no doubt depend on the behavior of oil prices and the quantity exported per year. A rise in export prices at higher rates relative to that of import prices is a real trade gain. However, the fluctuations in oil prices would have serious impacts on the path of economic development of the country. The objectives of this study are; examInIng the behavior of oil prices over the last four decades, analyzing the world demand-supply relationship for crude oil, investigating the impact of fluctuations in oil prices on the interaction between the Kuwaiti economy and those of its major trading partners, examining the effects of the fluctuations in oil prices in the resources balance of the Kuwaiti economy, analyzing the impact of fluctuations in oil prices on the pattern of Kuwaiti imports, investigating the future development in Kuwait under various assumptions regarding the behavior of oil prices and the quantity of oil exported.

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After 1952 Iraq embarked on various economic plans aimed at developing its economy. The aim of this thesis is to use input-output methods to examine the success of economic planning for Iraqi development, during the period 1968-1982. The history of Iraqi economic planning is outlined, with particular reference to policies aimed at encouraging economic integration. Various mathematical techniques for economic planning are discussed, such as production theory, linear programming, social accounting matrices, and particularly input-output analysis. For the remainder of the thesis a static input-output approach is adopted. The five input-output tables for Iraq, 1968-1982, are described and assessed, and a consistent aggregation structure of the tables is imposed. These input-output tables are used to explore economic inter-relationships in the Iraqi economy, using linkage analysis. multiplier analysis, and techniques of table triangularisation. Structural change of the Iraqi economy over time is analysed using input-output methods. The first technique used is the interpretation of the "fabrication" and "substitu tion" effects for updated tables using the RAS technique. Also, the decomposition of tables using matrix difference equations is utilised, allowing differentiation between the effects on economic activity of changing technology and changing demand structure over time. The conclusions reached are that the technology and the structure of final demand for the Iraqi economy have changed over time, with some evidence for increasing productive efficiency. Substantial potential benefits from further economic integration remain unexploited.

This thesis is concerned with an empirical investigation to explore the barriers and incentives faced by Malay entrepreneurs to engage in international business in Malaysia. Besides collecting quantitative data, qualitative data on barriers and incentives faced by the Malay firms in export and domestic businesses were also collected. This study was conducted in thirteen states in West Malaysia. In the quantitative analysis, the data gathered was obtained from 166 firms and 71 firms were interviewed for the qualitative survey at the Director and Managerial level in small, medium and large firms. Statistical analysis was carried out using frequency distribution, cross-tabulation, mean, cronbach alpha, chi-square, cramer v, phi-coefficient, ANOVA, pearson correlation, multiple regression and likert scaling. The survey results enabled the quantitative testing of hypotheses which were proven significant. There is positive correlation between the demographic variables of the decision-maker and the demographic variables of the firm to export. The lesser the barriers to export, the higher the probability a firm will engage in international business. The higher the incentives to export, the higher the probability a firm will engage in international business. There are significant differences in terms of the effects of demographic variables of decision-makers of exporting and domestic firms on export. There are significant differences in terms of the effects of demographic variables of exporting and domestic firms on export. The results of the analysis gathered from the quantitative and qualitative survey showed that majority of Malay entrepreneurs engaged in domestic business agreed that they could gain many incentives if they engage in international business.

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The aim of this thesis is to examine a cost- benefit analysis of the petrochemical industry comparing the costs of production, such as capital cost, labour cost, etc. in Saudi Arabia, and show the degree of its competitiveness in the international market. Also it discusses and evaluates the industrial development process in Saudi Arabia. The labour shortage and the marketing problems of the petrochemical products will be examined and solutions to these problems will be given. This research started by dealing with the theoretical background of the development planning. Various sources of energy literature have been reviewed, describing the role that hydrocarbon resource exploitation played in the Saudi development plans. Its objectives are to identify and understand the development problems, its strategies, objectives and plans of the Saudi government by paying attention to the role of the oil and gas resources and the country opportunities for diversification of the economy and decreasing dependence on crude oil and to use their limited resources more efficiently. Various procedural approaches were considered for evaluating development projects in order to increase the effectiveness of the development programs in Saudi Arabia. These include: improving the people's welfare, increasing national income, expanding the country's absorptive capacity and shifting to a renewable resource base. The petrochemical industry is the most feasible industry to be established in Saudi Arabia at this time. It would provide the country with the best alternative for steady economic growth with decreasing emphasis on the export of oil. The thesis will try to prove that the development of the petrochemical industry in Saudi Arabia is an adequate economic project, only if the major constraints such as labour shortage and marketing and profitability on the international market for petrochemical products can be overcome or at least minimised.

The main purpose of our research is to examine the role of economies of scale in influencing the United Kingdom domestic production and its exports and imports. Chapter One discusses the role of economies of scale in the theory of-international trade. Chapter Two discusses the various methods of measuring economies of scale, classified according to different types of cost-curves. In Chapter Three I estimate the minimum efficient firm size in U. K. industries, and also "point elasticities" for scale-economy cost-curves for 1963 and 1972. The scale elasticities were estimated at firm and plant levels. Chapter Four uses the point elasticity estimates to analyse the U. S. /U. K. relative exports and imports. In addition I also consider two other explanatory variables, namely skill intensities and import tariffs. The tests were carried out for 1963 and 1972 for three different markets, namely the World, OECD, and non-OECD. In general the independent variables performed well and showed the expected signs. Chapter Five examines whether the average size of plants and capital intensity in British and American industries have a significant effect on productivity within the plants. The test makes use of a weighted average size of plants and weighted average productivity. The tests were undertaken separately at the level of the entire industry and for each of two groups, namely the large and small plants. The regression results were significant for ii" tests on both small and large sized level plants. The co-variance technique was used to see whether the relationship between the variables differs. Chapter Six states the implications, that large firms in the U. K. operate at a disadvantage as diseconomies of scale, such as strike activities, bad labour relations and inadequate managerial control, outweigh the advantages which arise from producing on a large scale. Also, the United Kingdom has a disadvantage in skill requirements, more training courses are needed to increase the number of workers with vocational qualifications.

In this thesis. theories of regional integration. particularly neofunctionalism and intergovemmentalism. are applied to a case study of the shipping sector. Actor behaviour at three levels is explored: national and European-level pressure groups. national governments. and EC institutions. These actors are constrained or empowered by a range of variables at the national. regional. and global levels. and it is the impact of these variables on agent behaviour that explains the dependent variable - - outcome of negotiations leading to elements of an EC common shipping policy. One variable has not previously been identified in the literature capital mobility. It is significant because it alters pressure group power In negotiations over certain policies. Mobile capital will not accept policies which Impose costs if they can be avoided through exit. and this entails a major limit to integrative possibilities. This limit IS likely to be increasingly significant as foreign direct investment both into and out of the EC grows.

It is now well recognised that the improvement of the economic performance and the restructuring of industries depends not only on the generation (or production) of new technology but also on the rate and level of diffusion of technology throughout the economy. This thesis presents an inter-industrial analysis of the effect of diffusion of technological change on the Canadian economy. To do so, it describes the diffusion of information using Canadian patent statistics potential sector of manufacturing and use. It then uses the patent matrices as 'support' matrices to transform R&D data by industry of origin into R&D data by industry of use to calculate the direct and indirect R&D inducement based on a static input-output model. Finally it is used to estimate the impact of own R&D and R&D spillover on total factor productivity growth, differentiating the R&D spillover according to various 'support' matrices and different 'gestation times'. II The empirical results confirm: i) the existence of an important interindustrial flow of innovation, ii) the existence of a 'common core' of industry at the source of technological change, as well as the importance of using industries as 'core innovative' industries, and iii) the emergence of service industries as a strong user of capital goods. It also concludes that i) the scale and structure of the external trade has an impact on the R&D inducement of all industries, ii) innovative activity has a positive and significant effect on productivity growth and iii) the rates of return in R&D spillover are found only after 8 years of 'gestation time'.

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