Industrial Park Role as a Catalyst for Regional Development: Zooming on Middle East Countries

Abstract

The development of the industrial park has been one of the priorities of the plans of different countries and has created a magnitude challenge concerning regional disparities. Globally, the Middle Eastern countries have demonstrated a more remarkable dedication to industrial park development, given its general importance since the 1970s. Due to this importance, this paper is divided into three sections due to the critical role of industrial park development in the case of Middle Eastern countries. First, this study highlighted the relevant literature using Scinotometric analysis. In the second step, following the investigation of the relationship between selected critical variables and the development of industrial parks towards regional development in the Middle Eastern countries from 2000 to 2018. In this regard, panel data were used to determine the association between the selected variables and industrial park performance. According to the findings, the author suggests policy implementation for industrial park development in three categories: economic growth, environmental issues, and reduction in regional disparities. Finally, this study can serve as a foundation for future research, such as comparing the first batch of industrial parks with their upgraded counterparts in the Middle East and studying the competitive advantages issues.