Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija

In the Middle East, vast oil reserves led to economic modernization and prosperity in the region. However, it is one of the most conflict-prone regions. This paper studies the relationship between military spending, oil and development in Middle Eastern countries using a panel data fixed effect for country-level observations over the period 1986–2016. The relationship between development and conflict will not be uniform throughout the region. Therefore, to test this hypothesis, the study categorized oil exporting countries into three parts that are countries with above average oil export, below average oil export and no oil export. The estimates show a significant reduction in military spending over time and the most declines were observed in the countries where oil export is above average than the Middle East. The results indicate a significant inverse relationship between the military spending with exports and oil rents in overall Middle East analysis and for countries whose average oil export is greater than the Middle East. It is also found that the military burden adversely affects economic growth across all the model specification. However, military spending is declining over time which indicates that there is a reverse causality between development and conflict. It is crucial finding in the context of peace and development literature.

Economic security of each country is determined by array of different factors. Some factors seem obvious and are measurable, while other factors, such as entrepreneurship and, especially social entrepreneurship, are tacit and hard to measure. Anyway, social entrepreneurship is accepted globally as a bridge between business and benevolence. It attempts to find solution to local sustainability issues that are normally not addressed by traditional organizations. The problems faced by the Middle East society in general and Saudi Arabia in particular is unique in nature. Most of such problems cannot be addressed by the Government or the traditional organisations. The utility of social entrepreneurship arises here. There are many social enterprises in Saudi Arabia that have succeeded in nurturing a band of new leaders who are attempting to enhance the region’s global competitiveness, with a social touch. The present paper presents a few social entrepreneurs who have made their mark in Saudi society, and provides suggestions for nurturing and sustaining social entrepreneurships.