2006年-世界发展银行全球_A_Knowledge_Economy_Assessment_of_Qatar_22页_781kb

A Knowledge Economy Assessment of Qatar (December 7, 2006)

Core Content Overview

This document provides an assessment of Qatar's knowledge economy performance based on the Knowledge for Development (K4D) Program of the World Bank Institute. It compares Qatar with other countries and regions using the Knowledge Economy Index (KEI) and various sub-indicators, including economic incentive regimes, education, innovation, and information infrastructure.

Global KEI Comparison

• Qatar's KEI: 5.83 (most recent), up from 5.52 in 1995, showing a +0.31 improvement.
• Regional Performance:
  • MENA (Middle East and North Africa): Average KEI is 5.06, down from 5.31 in 1995.
  • World Average: 5.59, down from 6.07 in 1995.
• Qatar's Rank:
  • Ranks higher than the MENA and World averages.
  • Ranks lower than Western Europe (8.32).
• Comparators:
  • Finland: Highest KEI at 9.12.
  • UAE: Lowest KEI at 4.95.
  • Qatar is weaker than Finland and Singapore, but stronger than UAE and Kuwait.

KEI Basic Scorecard

• Index: 5.83 (most recent), 5.52 (1995)
• Pillars:
  • ICT (Information and Communication Technology): Strongest, at 66th percentile.
  • Education: Weakest, at 52nd percentile.
• Performance Trends:
  • Improved significantly on innovation.
  • Regressed on EIR (Economic Incentive Regime), education, and ICT compared to 1995.

Spider Chart: Knowledge Indicators

• Normalized Values: Between 38th and 80th percentile.
• Strongest Indicator: Rule of Law at 80th percentile.
• Weakest Indicator: Gross Tertiary Enrollment at 38th percentile.
• Performance Against Comparators:
  • Weaker than Finland and Singapore, but stronger or at par with other comparators.
  • Qatar, Kuwait, UAE are very similar in terms of institutional indicators.

Economic Incentive and Institutional Regime

• Qatar's EIR Score: 6.02 (most recent), down from 6.69 in 1995.
• Performance:
  • Stronger than MENA average for most variables.
  • Weaker in trade openness.
• Comparators:
  • Singapore: Strongest in EIR.
  • Saudi Arabia: Weakest in EIR.
  • Qatar is weaker than Finland and Singapore, but stronger than UAE and Kuwait.

Education Indicators

• Qatar's Education Score: 5.23 (most recent), down from 5.33 in 1995.
• Performance:
  • Strong in adult literacy rate (89%) and gross secondary enrollment (96.80%).
  • Weak in quality of management education (2.37) and gross tertiary enrollment (3.84).
• Regional Comparison:
  • Stronger than MENA average in absence of brain drain and secondary enrollment.
  • Weaker in management education and tertiary enrollment.

Innovation Indicators

• Qatar's Innovation Score: 5.47 (most recent), up from 3.05 in 1995.
• Performance:
  • Strong in science enrollment ratio (8.49).
  • Weak in high-tech exports (0.66), value chain presence (1.36), private R&D spending (1.67), and scientific journal articles (1.76).
• Regional Comparison:
  • Weaker than MENA average in most innovation variables.
  • Stronger than Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, but weaker than Finland, Singapore, and UAE.

Information Infrastructure Indicators

• Qatar's ICT Score: 6.59 (most recent), down from 6.99 in 1995.
• Performance:
  • Relatively balanced across ICT indicators, ranging from 49th to 70th percentile.
  • Very weak in business Internet use (1.73).
• Regional Comparison:
  • Weaker than Finland and Singapore, but marginally stronger than UAE.
  • At par with Kuwait.

Key Findings

• Qatar has improved overall in the knowledge economy since 1995.
• The ICT pillar is Qatar's strongest, but education is its weakest.
• Institutional quality has improved, but trade openness has regressed.
• Qatar's performance is relatively balanced compared to other MENA countries.
• Finland and Singapore are the top performers in the KEI and most sub-indicators.
• Qatar is weaker than the regional and global averages in several key areas, including innovation and information infrastructure.

Summary of Trends

Conclusion

Qatar has made progress in its knowledge economy development since 1995, particularly in the ICT and innovation pillars, but it still lags behind the global and regional leaders in several key areas. The country is relatively well-rounded compared to other MENA nations, with strengths in rule of law, science enrollment, and institutional quality, but weaknesses in education, trade openness, and business Internet use. Overall, Qatar is on a positive trajectory, but further improvements are needed to match the performance of top knowledge economies like Finland and Singapore.