Sadly and wrongly, the 2013 Index of Economic Freedom continued the practice of assigning the customary unfair ranking of most Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. As proof, Bahrain is granted a ranking position considerably ahead of Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The survey assigns ranking numbers of 12, 27 and 28 to Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE respectively. In reality, these are the best results for GCC countries amongst 174 nations ranked in the index. Happily, these three GCC economies are properly grouped in the mostly free category.
Yet Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are granted ranking numbers of 45, 66 and 82 respectively, and grouped in the moderately free category of countries. The excessively low ranking for Saudi Arabia could not be justified for a nation known for having exceptionally active private sector investors, something put on display during the annual haj.
Heritage’s unfair ranking | GulfNews.com
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