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Engineering Earth pp 533–550Cite as

Megaproject: A 4-Decade Perspective of the Gulf Development Model

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Abstract

Over the past four decades the Arab Gulf States of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have used megaprojects to promote economic development. Examples include the construction of the physical infrastructure required for oil production, but more significantly, megaprojects to stimulate non-oil sources of growth. This paper examines two of the largest and most significant diversification megaprojects undertaken in the region: the Jubail and Yanbu industrial cities in Saudi Arabia and Jebel Ali port in the United Arab Emirates. We use these megaprojects as case studies to learn whether or how a pre-industrial, natural resource-based economy can deploy oil windfalls into massive infrastructural projects to create competitive and sustainable economic development.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3147, USA

    Michael C. Ewers

  2. Department of Geography, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Edward J. Malecki

Authors
  1. Michael C. Ewers
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  2. Edward J. Malecki
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Correspondence to Michael C. Ewers .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Geography, University of Kentucky, Lexington, 40506-0027, Kentucky, USA

    Stanley D. Brunn

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Ewers, M.C., Malecki, E.J. (2011). Megaproject: A 4-Decade Perspective of the Gulf Development Model. In: Brunn, S. (eds) Engineering Earth. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9920-4_31

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