The study outlines the general framework of the research problem, firstly highlighting the persistence of development gaps between developed and developing countries, attributing this in part to differences in the quality of institutions and rules governing economic and political activity. It defines "institutions" according to the literature of "new institutional economics" (North, Williamson) and briefly distinguishes between de jure (formal legal) and de facto (actual practice) institutions. It argues that the combination of the rule of law, efficient bureaucracy, control of corruption, and an open business environment constitute necessary foundations for long-term growth. The study then explains the system of indicators it will rely on: the Heritage Index of Economic Freedom with its four dimensions (rule of law, size of government, regulatory efficiency, and market openness); the Doing Business Index, which compares business environment reforms across 190 economies; and the World Economic Forum's (WGI) six-index index (voice and accountability, political stability, government effectiveness, legislative quality, rule of law, and control of corruption). The study provides a description of each data source and a brief explanation of its methodology. It then presents comparative graphs and tables: a figure showing the evolution of GDP per capita across regions (1965–2019), a comparative bar showing Arab countries' scores in the 2020 Doing Business Index, and a matrix table showing Arab countries' WGI scores in 2019. The study concludes—through a descriptive reading of these findings—that Arab countries record modest levels in the components of governance, openness,
Fatima Jassim (Mon,) studied this question.