A Study of GCC Economic Visions through Magnitude Thinking

Abstract

The rapid economic and social transformations underway in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have made the development and assessment of national visions critically important for guiding sustainable futures. This study analyzes the national visions of the six GCC nations (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) through qualitative content analysis employing Magnitude Thinking, as an evaluative framework. Ten guiding questions were developed for each of the five layers of magnitude thinking (i.e., scale, impact, complexity, holism, and accuracy), enabling the systematic and uniform evaluation of each vision through a multidimensional approach. The findings indicate that all GCC visions aim to diversify and enhance economic sustainability; yet they vary in ambition, stakeholder involvement, responsiveness to circumstances, and evaluation and adaptation methods. The study concludes by highlighting the importance of integrating systematic evaluation tools to ensure that the national visions will lead to measurable and meaningful outcomes.

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