Summary, Research Design and Assessment

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    Summary, Research Design and Assessment

    In this session, everyone will be asked to reflect on the previous seminars and pose a provisional research question that they intend to answer in their assignment. This may or many not be related to your doctoral thesis.

    The convener will then outline the core steps of research design to be considered when constructing your assignment:

    1. What is the puzzle?
    2. What is the social scientific debate in the literature?
    3. What is your specific question?
    4. What empirical data will you use?
    5. What are your tentative conclusions?
    6. Why does this matter?
    Readings
    Bob Hancké (2009). Intelligent Research Design. Oxford University Press
    Henry E Brady and David Collier (eds) 2004 (or 2010). Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools and Shared Standards. Lahman, MD: Roman and Littlefield.

    Important note:
    What is required in this stage is to prepare the proforma which is approximately 1000 words. The structure of the proforma as mentioned in the table.
    This is required in by Friday morning. I will send it to the professor who will provide his feedback on that and accordingly you can start the main assignment of approximately 400 words which will have longer deadline for submission
    General Important comments:
    Academic Standards:
    (1) Avoiding plagiarism: will be strictly enforced.
    (2) (2) All written work submitted for this module should also conform to Harvard style – for citations.

    – When you do the critical analysis just remember that “Depth is better that breadth “.
    – I am planning here to analyze the case of GCC single market and find out what enables s single market by taking the EU as a case study. And recommend what made the EU model of single market a successful story (model) and what is missing in the GCC case to have a successful single market.
    – You need to study the elements that made the EU – single market succeeded by highlighting the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

    – You need to study the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as a supranational EU body and their effective role in imposing any kind of fines or violation on any EU member that does not implement the regulations or technical regulations. This supranational body is maybe missing in the institutional design of GCC, although they have a supranational body which is the GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre but it’s not really effective as the EU – ECJ. therefore when a member state in GCC is not implementing the regulation that was initially agreed by all the 6 members , and in the absence of such supranational body like the ECJ in the EU , then single market will always be a dream as this deviation may Couse ( some examples only and you please elaborate more in more critical implications ) :
    a. Trade barrier within the member states in GCC
    b. Increasing the cost of the products (since the manufacturers who are located outside the GCC will obviously cover the extra cost resulted from the special product design made for specific member state from the end user) i.e. if UAE is imposing certain specification for automobiles (cars) then TOYOTA or Cadillac will dobut the product will be higher in the cost in UAE than the rest of GCC countries.

    Information about the GCC:
    Gulf Cooperation Council is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Arabian Gulf, except for Iraq. Its member states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
    All current member states are monarchies, including three constitutional monarchies (Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain), two absolute monarchies (Saudi Arabia and Oman), and one federal monarchy (the United Arab Emirates, composed of seven member states, each with their own ruler.
    The Concept and Foundations

    On the 25th May 1981, Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, State of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar and State of Kuwait met in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where they reached a cooperative framework joining the six states to effect coordination, integration and inter-connection among the Member States in all fields in order to achieve unity, according to article 4 of the GCC Charter. Article 4 also emphasized the deepening and strengthening of relations, links and areas of cooperation among their citizens. The underpinnings which are clearly provided for in the preamble of the GCC Charter, confirm the special relations, common qualities and similar systems founded on the creed of Islam, faith in a common destiny and sharing one goal, and that the cooperation among these states would serve the sublime objectives of the Arab nation.
    Objectives

    The GCC Charter states that the basic objectives are:
    1. To effect co-ordination, integration and inter-connection between member states in all fields in order to achieve unity between them.
    2. To deepen and strengthen relations, links and areas of cooperation now prevailing between their peoples in various fields.
    3. To formulate similar regulations in various fields including the following:
    A. Economic and financial affairs.
    B. Commerce, customs and communications.
    C. Education and culture.
    D. Social and health affairs.
    E. Information and tourism.
    F. Legislative and administrative affairs.
    4. To stimulate scientific and technological progress in the fields of industry, mining, agriculture, water and animal resources: to establish scientific research: to establish joint ventures and encourage cooperation by the private sector for the good of their peoples.

    The Gulf standardization (GSO) as a supranational body in GCC: Inspired by the objectives of the charter of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf aiming at achieving coordination, integration and interconnection between them in all areas leading to their unity, and Pursuant to the objectives of the GCC Economic Agreement calling for coordinating and unifying their economic, financial and monetary policies as well as their commercial, industrial and customs regulations in force therein, and Desiring to achieve more coordination and cooperation between them in the standardization areas with a view to unifying their regulations in this respect, and in implementation of the resolution of the GCC Supreme Council (22nd Session, Muscat, Oman, 30-31 December 2001) to establish a Standardization Organization for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GSO) . The final technical regulations imposed in the 6 GCC member states are approved by the Board of Directors shall be composed of the competent Ministers responsible for standardization of each Member State.
    GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre as a supranational body Of the GCC : please check : ( http://www.gcccac.org/en/about-centre )

    Their Majesties and Highnesses GCC leaders (GCC Supreme Council) approved the establishment of the GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre and the Centre’s Constitution at the 14th Summit Conference held in Riyadh between 20-22nd December, 1993 They adopted this decision following the review of the GCC Secretariat’s memorandum concerning the proposed Centre and the recommendation of the GCC Commercial Co-operation Committee’s 19th meeting held in Abu Dhabi in September, 1993. The move also received the blessings of the GCC Justice Ministers at their 5th meeting held in September, 1993 and the recommendation of the GCC Financial & Economic Co-operation Committee and the Ministerial Council at its 49th Session (Preparatory Session).

    On 16th November, 1994 the Arbitration Procedure Regulation was approved by the Commercial Co-operation Committee in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A number of amendments were made to the Regulation and ratified by the Commercial Co-operation Committee at the city of Al Ain, UAE on 5th October, 1999.
    Jurisdiction
    The Centre has the jurisdiction to hear trade and business disputes between GCC nationals or between them and other nationals, including natural and corporate persons. It has the competence to hear trade disputes that arise from implementing the provisions of the GCC Economic Agreement and resolutions issued for its implementation if the two parties agree in writing, in their contract or in a subsequent agreement, that arbitration shall be conducted by the Centre.

    – Examples : Cases of different technical regulation issued by the GSO :
    1- Energy drinks labelling requirements technical regulation
    2- GSO 42/2015 Motor Vehicles – General Requirements: where UAE has extra safety requirements and the rest of the GCC countries are OK with the existing technical regulation.

    .
    Readings and references:

    1- http://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/index_en.htm
    2- http://www.gulfbusiness.com/articles/insights/gcc-states-remain-split-over-eu-styled-union/
    3- http://middleeast-business.com/what-is-the-nature-of-the-relationship-between-the-gulf-cooperation-council-gcc-and-the-european-union-eu/

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