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Open research questions in Socioeconomic Development in MENA

90 gap statements mined from Socioeconomic Development in MENA papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 809 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The study highlights a need for further exploration into the overall benefits of cultural diversification for organizations. The research aims to address the gap in understanding the impact of cultural diversity on talent acquisition in the Saudi Arabian economy.

    LEVERAGING CULTURAL DIVERSITY FOR ENHANCING TALENT ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SAUDI ARABIAN ECONOMY: ASSESSING THE IMPACT ON EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND MOTIVATION · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper suggests future research directions on the development of infrastructure systems and financial architectures. The study recommends further analysis of the institutional and financial mechanisms identified in the paper.

    Infrastructure as Coordination and Capital-Formation: Toward a Unified Theory of the Infrastructure Feasibility Frontier and Revenue-Routed Settlement Logic · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for a unified theory of the Infrastructure Feasibility Frontier and Revenue-Routed Settlement Logic.

    Infrastructure as Coordination and Capital-Formation: Toward a Unified Theory of the Infrastructure Feasibility Frontier and Revenue-Routed Settlement Logic · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite progress in promoting gender equality, women have limited opportunities to hold leadership positions in Saudi Arabia. There is a need to understand how women who have attained leadership positions achieve and succeed.

    Saudi women’s stories: building leadership · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faced challenges due to the limited availability of data. The research had to exclude the COVID-19 period from the correlation analysis.

    Strategic Cultural Hedging and The Louvre Abu Dhabi: UAE’s Soft Power and SDG 17 · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a limited understanding of the role of Louvre Abu Dhabi in the UAE's cultural diplomacy and soft power enhancement. Prior studies have not examined the correlation between the museum's international visitor numbers and the UAE's progress in the Global Soft Power Index.

    Strategic Cultural Hedging and The Louvre Abu Dhabi: UAE’s Soft Power and SDG 17 · 2026 · DOI

  • It highlights the need for further research on the challenges and implications of this shift, particularly in terms of environmental impact and dependence on foreign technology.

    From Concrete to Compute The Middle East's Bid for Global AI Infrastructure · 2026 · DOI

  • The multicultural nature of the workforce in the UAE shapes employee relations, and there is a need to study how companies manage this.

    The Link between Employee Relationship and Workplace Productivity – Case Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The underrepresentation of women's perspectives in the sample, which highlights the need for further research on gendered dynamics in wasta usage. The complexity of navigating the sensitive dynamics of wasta in Lebanon, where relational networks are integral to both social and professional interactions.

    Ethical Wasta: A Postcolonial Account of Ethical Leadership in Lebanon · 2026 · DOI

  • The limited theoretical exploration of wasta in ethical leadership contexts. The need to understand the circumstances under which the use of wasta informal networks by leaders may be perceived as ethical within networked societies. The gap in research on the relationship between wasta and ethical leadership in postcolonial Lebanon.

    Ethical Wasta: A Postcolonial Account of Ethical Leadership in Lebanon · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to assess how EFL policies and language-planning initiatives in Saudi Arabia align with the economic transformation objectives of Vision 2030. Significant challenges to achieving educational objectives are noted, including sociocultural barriers and insufficient teacher preparedness. There is a need to focus on vocational linguistic competence in EFL education to support economic transformation.

    EFL Policy Alignment With Saudi Arabia’s Economic Transformation and Vision 2030: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

  • The research notes the challenge of balancing the need for flexibility with the need for stability in HR practices.

    The role of deferred action in demystifying the “black box” of human resource management during economic crises · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of how HR adjustments are made during times of significant crisis. The study aims to fill this gap by investigating how and why human resource adjustments are made during times of significant crisis.

    The role of deferred action in demystifying the “black box” of human resource management during economic crises · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need to examine the psychological dimensions of social change and its impact on individual consciousness and collective identity.

    Repressed Desires and Trauma in Al-Humaidan’s and Al-Hamad’s Novels: A Psychoanalytic Reading of Inner Conflict and Repression · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies several challenges, including students' lack of English proficiency, unavailability of industry-specific teaching materials, lack of institutional support, time limitations, and the need for more teacher training.

    The Role of English Language Skills in Promoting Leadership in Energy and Industry Sectors: Insights From Saudi University Teachers · 2026 · DOI

  • The scoping review also identifies gaps, including limited research on intersectionality, cumulative effects of discrimination experiences, and well‐being outcomes, which set an agenda for further research, and, hence, may help to advance scholarly understanding of the career development of Arab workers in Western societies.

    Arabs' work experiences in Western societies: A scoping review · 2026 · DOI

  • The complexity of health system reforms and the need to understand the experiences of healthcare professionals and patients in mixed Saudi-expatriate healthcare settings. The challenge of identifying the key factors that influence the success of health system reforms. The need to develop effective governance interventions that can enhance the implementation of the reform.

    Negotiating reform from within: workforce governance and the expatriate–Saudi interface in the SHSTP era · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper highlights the need for further research on the country's foreign policy tools and national interests.

    New Dimensions of Saudi Arabia’s Soft Power · 2025 · DOI

  • Limited data and relatively little research on such programs exist, and little reliable information is available on the websites of some of the national universities in the GCC region.

    Students’ Extracurricular Activities Programs: Prospects and Challenges in Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Universities · 2025 · DOI

  • The study faced a challenge due to the shortage of time, which limited the use of open questions. The study had to rely on closed questions to collect data. The study had to ensure the confidentiality of the respondents and maintain the anonymity of their names.

    Beyond the Test: Unravelling Test Anxiety Among Saudi Undergraduates · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a need to understand the causes of test anxiety and its effects on students. There is a gap in the literature regarding the perspectives of Saudi learners regarding test anxiety. The study aims to fill this gap by exploring the factors that contribute to test anxiety among Saudi learners.

    Beyond the Test: Unravelling Test Anxiety Among Saudi Undergraduates · 2025 · DOI

  • Interface failures can occur in large-scale tourism infrastructure development - Pressure to begin before deliverability is fully understood can weaken governance and increase future cost or delay - Safety governance must be place-based and consider the scale of tourism infrastructure…

    Safety Governance as a Driver of Sustainable Regional Development in Saudi Arabia's Tourism Infrastructure Projects · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in safety governance in tourism infrastructure projects - The paper highlights the need for place-based safety governance and consideration of the scale of tourism infrastructure…

    Safety Governance as a Driver of Sustainable Regional Development in Saudi Arabia's Tourism Infrastructure Projects · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies can investigate the impact of ESP programs on students' leadership development, - Research can explore the effectiveness of different teaching methods in promoting English language skills and leadership…

    The Role of English Language Skills in Promoting Leadership in Energy and Industry Sectors: Insights From Saudi University Teachers · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research could investigate the long-term effects of the SHSTP on the healthcare workforce, - Research could explore the impact of the SHSTP on patient outcomes, - Studies could examine the role of digital health technologies in supporting workforce governance…

    Negotiating reform from within: workforce governance and the expatriate–Saudi interface in the SHSTP era · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Socioeconomic Development in MENA

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a need to understand how women who have attained leadership positions achieve and succeed (“Saudi women’s stories: building leadership”, 2026); (2) There is a limited understanding of the role of Louvre Abu Dhabi in the UAE's cultural diplomacy and soft power enhancement (“Strategic Cultural Hedging and The Louvre Abu Dhabi: UAE’s Soft Power and SDG 17”, 2026); (3) The multicultural nature of the workforce in the UAE shapes employee relations, and there is a need to study how companies manage this (“The Link between Employee Relationship and Workplace Productivity – Case Study”, 2026); (4) There is a need to assess how EFL policies and language-planning initiatives in Saudi Arabia align with the economic transformation objectives of Vision 2030 (“EFL Policy Alignment With Saudi Arabia’s Economic Transformation and Vision…”, 2026); (5) There is a lack of understanding of how HR adjustments are made during times of significant crisis (“The role of deferred action in demystifying the “black box” of human resource…”, 2026). 90 gap statements have been mined from Socioeconomic Development in MENA papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 809 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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