Abdullah Al-Hassan

Sovereign Wealth Funds

Aspects of Governance Structures and Investment Management

This paper presents in a systematic (normative) manner the salient features of a SWF‘s governance structure, in relation to its objectives and inves...

Commodity-based Sovereign Wealth Funds

Managing Financial Flows in the Context of the Sovereign Balance Sheet

Commodity-based sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) have been at a crossroads following the recent fall in commodity prices. This paper provides a framework...

Is the Whole Greater than the Sum of its Parts? Strengthening Caribbean Regional Integration

Deeper economic integration within the Caribbean has been a regional policy priority since the establishment of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and ...

The GCC Banking Sector

Topography and Analysis

In this paper, we analyze the evolution of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) banking sectors in the six member countries including ownership, concent...

Feeling the Heat: Adapting to Climate Change in the Middle East and Central Asia

Climate change is among humanity’s greatest challenges, and the Middle East and Central Asia region is on the frontlines of its human, economic, and...

IPO Behavior in GCC Countries

Goody-two Shoes Or Bad-to-the-bone?

This paper documents the phenomenon of underpricing initial public offerings (IPOs) for 47 firms that went public between 2001 and 2006 in the equity ...

A Coincident Indicator of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Business Cycle

This paper constructs a coincident indicator for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area business cycle. The resulting coincident indicator provides a...

Assessing Banking Sector Vulnerabilities in the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Wake of COVID-19

The Gulf Cooperation Council region faced a significant economic toll from the COVID-19 pandemic and oil price shocks in 2020. Policymakers responded ...