Max S. Dunn

Economic Development in Saudi Arabia (Routledgecurzon Durham Modern Middle East and Islamic World Series)
by Ahmed Al Rajhi
Read May 2008

Here is another book I read for my Resource Wars paper. Its main thesis is that while the Western media usually paints a gloomy picture of Saudi Arabia's economy, it is actually remarkably resilient and its government policy-making relatively robust. The book also makes an interesting point that while business time management is at odds with the need to pray five times a day and the segregation of women impedes efficiency (which makes the working day different from developed countries), the fact is that most of the work still gets done. I also found it interesting how how modern banking industry was able to emerge and adapt to Islamic finance constraints, such as the subject of paying interest.

Edit Page Add Page