To enhance the efficiency of regression parameter estimation by modeling the correlation structure of correlated binary error terms in quantile regression with repeated measurements, we propose a Gaussian pseudolikelihood approach for estimating correlation parameters and selecting the most...

The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of the environment for development of Small and Medium Enterprises (hereinafter referred to as SMEs) in Sichuan, China. Focus group discussions and case analyses were used to diagnose problems that SMEs encountered in technology implementation...

Cover -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- PART I: DIVERSIFICATION ATTEMPTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA -- 1 Soaring of the Gulf Falcons: Diversification in the GCC Oil Exporters in Seven Propositions -- 2 The Riddle of Diversification -- PART II: EXPERIENCES OF...

In the years following the global financial crisis, many low-income countries experienced rapid recovery and strong economic growth. However, many are now facing enormous difficulties because of rapidly rising food and fuel prices, with the threat of millions of people being pushed into poverty...

The "Gulf Falcons"-the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council-have high living standards as a result of large income flows from oil. The decline of oil prices between summer 2014 and fall 2015 underscores the urgency for the Gulf Falcons to diversify away from their current heavy reliance on...