Policies In Qatar Research Papers Example

Policy formulation and implementation is the most important stage in the management of the affairs of the public. The government of every nation has a duty to provide basic utility services to the people in the nation. Governments can only do this through systematic guidelines that guide the interest of the government and the private sector. The primary objective is to ensure the satisfaction of the public using deliverables that are made possible through the implementation of policies formulated. The paper will evaluate past research in the economic, health, and education sectors in Qatar. Most importantly, it will evaluate how the policies relate public policy and human security.

Qatar’s Economic Policy

Qatar’s economy is strong in many senses. The country is rich in natural resources that require sound economic policies to facilitate their exploitation and use. Al-Khulaifi and Abdulla (2013) argue that the country’s economic strength lies in its natural resources, infrastructure, financial stability, friendly legislations that foster good international relations, and transparency when carrying out business transactions (8). According to them, the primary objectives of the economic policy of the nation is to ensure economic growth, resilience, diversity, competitiveness and to foster a conducive environment for investment.
According to the Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies (2012), Qatar’s economic policy focuses on the liberalization of the country’s economy and the liberalization of integration and trade in the global economy (15). Liberalization of the economy implies that Qatar encourages foreign investment in its economy to maximize the exploitation of the available resources. Gas and oil account t for more than half of the country’s gross domestic product. They also account for more than 80 percent of the total earnings from the exportation of goods and services and nearly 70 percent of the revenue generated by the government. Given that the country relies heavily on the exploitation of oil, it must maximize the revenue generated by the sector. Encouraging the influx of foreign investors helps to mitigate the possibility of a lack of investment resources particularly capital. The country has enough labor that can service the oil production sector. However, the country is also using its economic policy to encourage foreign investors to pump resources in other sectors of the economy besides the energy sector. Diversification is part of its economic policy and strategy to reduce the dependence on revenue, which poses the threat of an economic meltdown when the prices of oil products go down in the global market.
The Contemporary Arab Affairs (2012) proposes that liberalization of integration and trade is the most important aspect of the economic policy of the nation (11). The authors argue that Qatar pays much attention to allowing the free movement of labor, goods, and services across its national borders, which facilitate to the inflow of foreign direct investment in the country. Its liberal approach to business and the fact that the government allows the market to be controlled by the forces of demand and supply encourage most of the investors to set foot in the nation.
The economic policies discussed by all the authors above have a direct relationship with human security and public policy. They affect human security such that the country is exposed to insecurity because it is less strict on the exchange of labor. Qatar is more concerned about the economic output of its nation, which explains the reason the nation encourages the free exchange of labor. However, the inadequate strictness in the immigration sector could affect security because an influx of the immigrants may lead to a rise in unemployment. It renders a majority of the people jobless and willing to perpetrate criminal activities. On the other hand, the economic policies also affect public policy because the government must have a metropolitan perspective when approaching issues regarding the public. The presence of individuals in the country implies that the administrative and the institutional framework adopted by the authorities is comprehensive and non-discriminatory.

Health Policies

Kheir, Ghoneim, Sandridge, Al-Ismail, Hayder, and Al-Rawi (2012) assert that health is an important national issue that must be taken into consideration under any policy framework. The primary objective of the health policy in Qatar is the provision of quality and affordable healthcare to the citizens. The authors propose the use of a preventive system of healthcare where the government should initiate and fund programs aimed at the reduction of preventable diseases. The authors suggest that embarking on the preventive measures is the key to reducing the amount of national resources spent in the treatment of the same diseases in the future. On the other hand, Chouchane, Mamtani, Al-Thani, Al-Thani, Ameduri, and Sheikh (2011) suggest that the government and the other stakeholders in the health sector should focus on promoting medical research and studies (23). It will contribute to streamlining of the country’s health sector and help in the management of resources, capital and human resources. In addition, research will contribute positively to the primary aim of the government to offer affordable yet quality healthcare through a proposal of methods and systems usable in the provisions of health services.
According to Heitmueller et al, the development of the policy of using big data in the healthcare sectors in Qatar is important. They maintain the vast amount of data on generated as well as stored offers elemental opportunities for advancements such as real-time tracking of some of the diseases, the prediction of outbreaks of diseases, and the development of a healthcare system that offers opportunities for personalization and improvement. Nevertheless, the capture, analysis, and sharing of the health data is challenging, controversial and expensive. For this reason, they provide four elemental aspects that the policy makers in Qatar should consider in their attempts to develop public policy for using the big data in the healthcare system in Qatar. These authors suggest that successful policies in health in Qatar require the formulation of clear objectives concerning the same.
Ramiz Shlah and Wayne Jones talk about the health insurance scheme in Qatar. They provide an update on this insurance scheme, which is the vision of the country to improve the health of the citizens of Qatar by developing an integrated system of healthcare. According to Shlah and Jones, the government is set out to expand the health coverage in the country to achieve the fundamental elements of the insurance scheme. These elements include providing access to effective and efficient healthcare to the citizens, increasing the range and quality of healthcare, and increasing the competition among the private providers of health care, thereby increasing the available choices to the patients. This health insurance scheme is in line with the public policy concerning health, and it promotes human security because all citizens, visitors, and residents will access it, which will enable them access medical assistance.

Education Policies

Qatar has many policies as regards the education system in the country. According to Zellman et al, the K-12 Education Reform is an essential tool in the education system in Qatar. Zellman et al. assert that this reform will enhance the education system and enable students to leave or graduate with the academic proficiency required to pursue higher education abroad or in Qatar. In addition, it will equip them with the necessary skills for the high-skill and high-demand jobs in the Qatari expanding economy. This reform is connected to the human security in the sense that it builds the capacity of each citizen, which will enable the nationals to be in charge of the growth of the county and replace most of the foreigners who fill many of the professional and managerial jobs due to the dearth of the qualified Qataris. This reform allows for the measuring of the student performance, improving the student performance through parent engagement and motivation strategies, evaluating the classroom pedagogy and practice, and develop instructional and curriculum materials. In addition, it outlines the required procedures and standards of recruiting, developing, and retaining the staff in schools.
Stasz et al. talk about the post-secondary education in Qatar as an option for policy, including student choice and employer demand. According to Stasz et, al., the Qatari government has embarked on a variety of reforms in the education system o support the social and economic development of the nation. Under these reforms, the focus on post-secondary education has been elemental. They suggest that developing post-secondary education in the country is important for meeting the increasing demands for employment and education in Qatar. In addition, the pattern of the occupational demands favors the individuals with post-secondary education with supplemented job training.
Qatar has adequacy of training and post-secondary education offers that enhance the state of the education in the country. Some of these offerings are both at the diploma and certificate levels and under-graduate levels. The implementation of this post-secondary education will be important for the Qatari population and is geared towards enhancing public policy on issues of education. In addition, it aims at enhancing human security as regards job opportunities in the country. Qatar is experiencing an increasing economic growth, which is favorable to the individuals with post-secondary education, as well as training.
Another elemental aspect in education policies in Qatar is research in learning as asserted by Ramzi Nasser and Haitham Alkhateeb. According to Nasser and Alkhateeb, the education system in Qatar and the state departments involved in the issues concerning education call for the learning of students on research through processes of publishing multiple papers. This position enables the students think critically and on a wide scope concerning various subjects in the country. This learning through research mostly calls for the students to work under a mentor who guides them through the process and experience. Most of the mentors prefer that the students be exposed to a variety of research materials, including scientific manuscripts, such as research questions, methods, hypotheses, and literature. With the exposure to such materials, students gain the knowledge to relate the materials and information learned in class to the happenings and reality in their lives. As such, they become citizens with the ability to solve challenging situations in building the nation.

Works Cited

"The Visions and Strategies of the GCC Countries from the Perspective of Reforms: the Case of Qatar." Contemporary Arab Affairs (2012): n. pag. Print.
Al-Khulaifi, Abdulla S. "THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN QATAR." (2013): Print.
Chouchane, Lotfi, RavinderMamtani, Mohammed H. Al-Thani, Al-Anoud M. Al-Thani, Marco Ameduri, and Javaid I. Sheikh. "Medical Education and Research Environment in Qatar: a New Epoch for Translational Research in the Middle East." Journal of Translational Medicine (2011): n. pag. Print.
Heitmueller, Axel, Sarah Henderson, Will Warburton, Ahmed Elmagarmid, Alex Pentland, and Ara Darzi. "Developing Public Policy To Advance The Use Of Big Data In Health Care." 33.9 (2014): Print.
Kheir, Nadir, Ola Ghoneim, Amy L. Sandridge, Muna Al-Ismail, Sara Hayder, and Fadhila Al-Rawi. "Quality of Life of Caregivers of Children with Autism in Qatar." Autism (2012): n. pag. Print.
Nasser, Ramzi, and Haitham M. Alkhateeb. "Students learning about research through the process of publishing academic papers in Qatar." Journal of Research in Education 1 (2013): n. pag. Web. <http://www.qscience.com/doi/abs/10.5339/nmejre.2013.1>.
Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies: Papers from the Forty-Sixth Meeting of the Seminar for Arabian Studies Held at the British Museum, London, 13 to 15 July 2012. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2013. Print.
Shlah, Ramiz, and Wayne Jones. "Qatar's National Health Insurance Scheme." (2014): Print.
Stasz, Cathleen, Eric R. Eide, and Francisco Martorell. "Post-Secondary Education in Qatar." (2007): Print.
Zellman, Gail L., Gery W. Ryan, Rita Karam, Louay Constant, Hanine Salem, Gabriella Gonzalez, Nate Orr, Kholode Al-Obaidli, Hessa Al-Thani, and Charles A. Goldman. "Implementation of the K--12 Education Reform in Qatar’s Schools." (2009): Print.