True Development in the Middle East through Sustainable Technology

How thinking about development and how it can be measured informs my research topic

Thinking about development significantly increases my knowledge concerning what I should include in my research topic. Since development addresses the current and actual issues affecting society, it provides me with significant knowledge on what developmental issues are affecting the Middle East and how these problems can be solved. According to Alraouf (2018), the concerns of development go beyond developing countries. In every country, there is wealth and wealth. Most countries in the middle east are less developed in terms of economy, and infrastructure, and technology. They lack developmental facilities like education and healthcare facilities. Thinking about development in the Middle East, therefore, informs me concerning the reason why technological innovation is critical in the region. While the Middle East was late to all the waves of the industrial revolution, it is high time for them to embrace the new technological change in the world to aid in development. Therefore, significant research into the challenges of development and how technology can help in addressing these challenges is needed.

Measuring development is critical to compare how it has progressed from the past and with other countries. Thinking about this significantly informs my research topic on how development in the Middle East through sustainable technology. A look into development in the middle east will provide me with answers on economic and human development in the country as well as the importance of sustainable development in these aspects. Economic development incorporates the wealth of the Middle East and how it is generated. Human development will measure the population’s access to education, nutrition, employment opportunities, wealth, health, safety and leisure, and cultural freedom (UNDP HDR, 2021). Looking at the measures of development also enables me to get significant information concerning how technology has impacted these areas and important measures that should be considered for improvement.

Indicators in the UNDP HDR are relevant to my research

UNDP HDR provides significant development indicators that can be used in my research on sustainable technology in the Middle East. The most widely used indicators according to Kihombo et al. (2020) include the Human Poverty Index (HPI), the Gender Development Index (GDI), and the Human Development Index (HDI). Each aspect takes into account the well-being of the people in a specific country which is related to health, life expectancy, education, knowledge, and purchasing power (UNDP HDR, 2021). HDI provides the standard metrics of development with a better picture of how a country is developed by considering the economic and social factors. Among the most relevant indicators of development for my research include education, a long and healthy life, and standard of living.

Among the most critical indicators of development for my research are education and knowledge of the people living in the Middle East. Development in education is often considered a national priority contributing to economic development and other significant sectors in society. Education is also among the major dimensions in the HDI (Akinsemolu, 2020). To analyze the development in the Middle East, it is critical to calculating the mean years of school in the country and the expected years of school. The average years of schooling are 15 years according to the UN. Examining this will show the amount of knowledge and education gained in the country and how sustainable technology can help in this sector.

A long and healthy life is also a significant measure of development in the Middle East since it will allow me to provide a summary of the country’s mortality rate, healthcare quality, and level of sanitation. This will allow me to compare it by generation and analyze the trends. Their meanings and interpretations are significant and can provide researchers with critical data concerning the level of development of the Middle East’s welfare share. Based on demographics such as current age and year of birth, life expectancy at birth is a critical measure of statics that a person is expected to live (Takian & Rajaeieh, 2020). Sustainable technology is a significant factor in the enhancement of health facilities hence improving this measure of development. This makes health a significant factor to be considered in this research.

The last indicator that is important for my research is the standard of living. According to the UN, the gross national income (GNI) per capita measures the standard of living. It shows the sum of foreign and domestic output generated by the population of a country. An increasing GNI is often regarded as a measure of the economic success and welfare of a country (UNDP HDR, 2021). It should account for the inherent capitalism shortcomings and development’s multidimensional nature. This is a good indicator in gauging how developed and how productive a country is. With technological improvements around the world, people’s standards of living are expected to rise. Thus, it is critical to measure the standard of living as a measure of development.

Part Two

Problem statement

A satisfactory development level and sustainable technology are not only important for the economic advancement of the Middle East but also, for its cultural, social, and political development. Several studies and reports have indicated that many countries in the Middle East region including other societal segments are not sufficiently equipped to use new technologies for developmental purposes (UNDP HDR, 2021; Akinsemolu, 2020; Kihombo et al., 2021). Beginning with a short overview of technological trends and what is needed to incorporate new technologies in different sectors, this study will focus on the extent of development in the middle east through sustainable technology. It will also address digitalization and the of communication and information technologies in enhancing different sectors of development in the middle east. This issue has been significantly addressed by the most recent studies of trends in technological advancements in the Middle East (Takian & Rajaeieh, 2020; Akinsemolu, 2020). The middle East is facing significant challenges when it comes to the adoption and use of sustainable technology. These challenges are majorly contributed by low literacy and education level, wide gap disposable income, and poor technology infrastructures. There are also certain constraints to the use of technology such as extensive monitoring of content, prohibition of access to the internet. Nonetheless, most governments are reluctantly investing in technological development since it is seen as a waste of money. There are also many other preconditions for technological development especially digitalization and ICT that are not distributed equally in the Middle East Region (UNDP HDR, 2021). Describing the development in the middle east region through sustainable technology entails consideration of technological trends and their relevance in economic development; the relevance and effects of technology on education, demography, and labor market; and the relevance of technology in health, conserving the environment, and strengthen the transportation and renewable energy. Sustainable technology in the Middle East is likely to be induced directly or indirectly. Directly means through supranational institutions such as European Union, FAO, UN, and Word bank and multinational corporations such as Google, Samsung, and Facebook. Indirectly means through significant structural mechanisms and competition. However, most countries in the middle east are not connected to OECD countries and other regions in the technological realm, and therefore they must consider this among other challenges to ensure development through sustainable technology.

References

Akinsemolu, A. A. (2020). Contribution of the extractive industry to sustainability in the Middle East and North African (MENA) Region. Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (The), 11(1), 210-238. DOI: 10.4314/jsdlp.v11i1.10

Alraouf, A. A. (Ed.). (2018). Knowledge-Based Urban Development in the Middle East (First Edition). IGI Global.

Kihombo, S., Ahmed, Z., Chen, S., Adebayo, T. S., & Kirikkaleli, D. (2021). Linking financial development, economic growth, and ecological footprint: What is the role of technological innovation?. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14993-1

Takian, A., & Rajaeieh, G. (2020). Peace, health, and sustainable development in the Middle East. Archives of Iranian medicine, 23(4Suppl1), S23-S26. doi: 10.34172/aim.2020.s5

UNDP HDR. (2021). Human Development Reports | United Nations Development Programme. Hdr.Undp. http://www.hdr.undp.org/en