Goran M. Muhamad – författare

This book investigates the intricacies of resource management performance across various sectors within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. With 13 in-depth studies, it examines the region''s evolution from an agricultural society to an emerging market since the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003. Oil and gas revenue, comprising over 85 percent of fiscal revenues, has attracted multinational companies and international humanitarian organizations, although external factors such as the ISIS conflict and global economic downturns have hindered their performance. Additionally, conflicts with Baghdad and the fallout of the ISIS war have led to double embargoes and economic crises, exacerbated by the region''s provision for 2 million refugees and internally displaced persons. International entities like the IOM and UNDP have played vital roles in supporting the region''s development amid these challenges. Despite these obstacles, the Kurdistan Region demonstrates significant economic potential. By scrutinizing resource management in sectors such as education and electricity, this book offers valuable insights and policy recommendations for researchers, decision-makers, and organizations invested in the region''s growth and stability.

This book is a collection of eight studies covering several areas pertinent to the current technological and banking services situation in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The economy of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is mainly dependent on oil revenue. The oil export revenue constitutes more than 90% of the government’s fiscal revenue. In addition to that, the public sector plays an excessive role in the economy, with public spending to GDP being over 70% while revenue from taxation constitutes less than 30% of total revenue. 

As the economy is not diversified, there is a large gap between demand and supply of locally produced tradeable goods, leaving the KRI economy highly dependent on imports. Another structural challenge of the KRI economy is its dependence on cash and a weekly financial system. Although the region has witnessed extraordinary economic growth from 2008 to 2014, the growth rate decreased from 8 to 1 percent, trade and investment dropped to 5 percent, and the unemployment rate significantly increased to over 20% by the end of the year 2019. To maintain the progress of economic development, it is necessary to upgrade the country’s industrial structure in order to be able to generate more value-added products, which requires advancement in technological infrastructure to employ more sophisticated technologies. 

There is not much written about Kurdistan and its economy, and yet there is a comprehensive development plan and resources to be used for education, research, rehabilitation, development, and reconstruction. As such, this book would be of interest to researchers, decision-makers, governmental and non-governmental organizations, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general public with an interest in the Middle East and contemporary Kurdish issues. It is a good up-to-date handbook for policymakers and NGOs involved in the rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development of Iraq. 

This book examines the reduction of natural resource revenue dependency in resource-rich countries. Such countries experience lower economic growth due to factors of high volatility in commodity prices, reduction in accountability, undermining of the competitiveness of other economic sectors, and weak power of institutions. The analysis is based on an identified gap in the literature regarding how private sector development and public sector development affect the degree of dependency on resource revenue in natural resource-rich countries.

This book studies the interaction between private and public sector development with dependency on natural resources, specifically exploring whether the two diversified factors lead to a decrease in the degree of dependency, which is important for economic growth and to overcome the "resource curse". Economic diversification is viewed as a long-term solution to the high economic dependency from natural resources. Private sector development and public sector reforms may lead to this diversification.

The analysis of the book helps to shed light on private sector development, public services sector privatization, and a taxation system to diversify sources of income, with the objective to reduce dependency on natural resources extraction.

This book is an invaluable read for public policymakers, the public and private sectors, law makers, and scholars of developmental studies.