English abstract
An economic project or pole of development? Globalization and the liberalization of trade have opened wide business opportunities and made it easier for developing countries to go internationally and invade new markets for value making. The impact of globalization on trade has been reflected on international trade policies and increased liberalization and market-opening. The reduction of trade barriers and the increasing openness of economies have led Oman to significant integration into the global economy and helped it to obtain a growing share of international projects. As a result, Oman has unleashed one of its biggest project called Duqum Project. Duqm Project has been established to push Oman towards greater economic profits, increase and find new income resources. In addition, it aims to foster local economy and engage with global trade, support new productions, new technical devices and many other advantages. Duqm Project is considered one of the biggest projects in the Middle East which will open up markets by removing barriers to goods coming in and out. The success of this project is determined by its development of the local and global resources as well as its social and economic development. The purpose of this study is to examine whether Duqm Project will support the development pole, or it is only seeking economic profits. The study also looks at the characteristics of the project and its effects on local environment and investments. Moreover, the study also aims to show how Duqm Project can have significant impacts on both local and global economy. The research used both qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting and analyzing data. It also used field visits, interviews and visual displays, such as graphs and maps to evaluate the project and justify the results. The study has found that Duqm Project is one of the largest mega projects in the Gulf Region and the Middle East, where it is the first project in the Middle East in terms of size and in terms of investment volume. The project received the highest attention locally and internationally because of its geographical location. It is located in a strategic area where it is very close to the trade lines of the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and the Red Sea. Further, the project is located between Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat and Salah Port in Dofar Governorate in the south of Oman. Consequently, it has supported Omani sea trade and improved tourism. It is considered as part of the government's long term plan to create an integrated city in the Central Province and develop different areas in the Sultanate. Duqm Project also includes other mini projects such as the sea port, land port, Duqm city, international airport, fishing port, industrial area, leisure and entertainment area and transport network, The study concludes that the project has showed positive and significant effects on the development process. The population has increased to 13.8% during the period from 2003 to 2010. The number of expatriates who have come to work in the project has also increased. Moreover, the project also has shown visible growth in the country's economy and rapid development in both environmental and social sides. More importantly, the study has found that the project has played a vital role in the development, especially in terms of employment and investment of raw materials. These results and findings show that the core objective of the project, which is to support projects and serves mini projects, meets the pole of development. In addition, the project has changed the Duqm area from a special problem region to pole of development.
