Sultan, Basel M (2005) The construction industry in Yemen: Towards economic sustainability. PhD thesis, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Abstract
The construction industry is one of the most important components in the economic development of a developing country, being a major contributor to the national economy of many such countries. This industry is largely responsible for the physical provision of housing and infrastructure and, as such, can be the backbone of prosperous economies, providing social development and employment. The construction industry in the developing economy of Yemen is plagued by difficult economic and technical problems, which permeate most aspects of the industry. In addition, construction procedures in Yemen consume excessive capital, time and resources that have a direct flow-on effect for the national economy and the nation's socio-economic development. Macroeconomic problems in unemployment, inflation and an inequitable balance-of-payments all add to the existing difficult economic situation in the construction industry. Further, the lack of appropriate infrastructure, weak and inefficient legal, administrative and financial institutions are also major contributors. The recent global shift to sustainable development also requires that the construction industry in Yemen initiate important strategic developmental policies in order to meet future demand for economical and sustainable development. This research uses a comprehensive literature review to design and conduct a survey into the existing local development barriers and then obtains a census of expert opinions using the Delphi methodology to rank a set of sustainable developmental policies and strategies. The research then establishes a comprehensive list of recommendations for achieving economicly sustainable industry. Proposed policies and strategies are formulated from various international studies, including Agenda 21 for Sustainable Development. The proposed policies and strategies are specifically chosen as they are considered to be compatible with the Yemen case and are also seen to more readily integratable with cultural aspects of Yemen, particularly in focusing on the hardships of its local needs and capabilities. The construction industry in the developing nation of Yemen appears aligned in many ways to the needs of other developing economies and, as such, it is expected that the findings of this research will be of great interest to professionals involved in the construction economies of other such developing nations.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Kajewski, Stephen; Humphreys, Matthew and Sidwell, Anthony |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction industry; Yemen; economic sustainability |
| Index terms: | employment, construction industry, economic development, survey, national economy, economic sustainability, methodology, inflation, literature review, housing, developing country, unemployment, developing economy, strategy, developing nation, sustainable development, local development, Yemen |
| Subjects: | construction type, economic development, economic analysis, industry analysis, urban design, Geography, research methods, data analysis and analytics, data collection methods, health safety and environment, management, development economics |
| Topics: | Construction Technology, Sustainability, Urban Studies, International Construction, Health and Safety, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Human Resources, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here