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An Update on Saudi Arabia’s 10x10 Program Saudi Arabia’s recent economic successes have provided an historic opportunity for the government to make targeted policy changes and investments to lay the groundwork for a sustainable increase in the Kingdom’s long-term rate of economic expansion. This opportunity has been coupled with ambitious vision on the part of His Majesty King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to encourage the economy’s advancement and diversifi cation beyond the petroleum sector. These efforts focus primarily on competitiveness: making Saudi Arabia a world-class investment destination and equipping it with the institutional basis for productivity gains. Far-reaching reforms are being implemented under the auspices of the 10x10 program, announced by His Excellency the Governor of SAGIA in 2006, an initiative to make Saudi Arabia one of the world’s Top 10 most competitive nations by 2010. This issue of the Competitiveness Review provides an update on the improvements made in Saudi Arabia in 2008 and offers an assessment of further improvements we can make to achieve our full potential.

World Investment Report 2008 World Investment Report 2008 (WIR08) is the 18th in a series published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Report analyses the latest trends in foreign direct investment (FDI) and has a special focus in 2008 on the role of transnational corporations (TNCs) in infrastructure development.

The Global Competitiveness Report 2008–2009 The Global Competitiveness Report is a yearly report published by the World Economic Forum. The 2008-2009 report covers 134 major and emerging economies, up from 131 considered in the 2007-2008 report. The United States continues as the most competitive economy in the world, despite the financial crisis that began in 2007. The report "assesses the ability of countries to provide high levels of prosperity to their citizens. This in turn depends on how productively a country uses available resources. Therefore, the Global Competitiveness Index measures the set of institutions, policies, and factors that set the sustainable current and medium-term levels of economic prosperity."

Doing Business 2009 - report overview Doing Business 2009 is the sixth in a series of annual reports investigating regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 181 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time. A set of regulations affecting 10 stages of a business’s life are measured : starting a business, dealing with construction permits, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and closing a business.

Real Estate Competitiveness Review The Real Estate Competitiveness Review, written by the National Competitiveness Center (NCC). As part of the NCC's ongoing efforts to support and enhance SAGIA's 10x10 initiative, the Real Estate Competitiveness Review provides a detailed, current, and objective assessment of competitiveness within Saudi Arabia's real estate sector.

An update on Saudi Arabia's 10x10 Program Saudi Arabia has achieved impressive economic gains in recent years, including five successive years of budget surpluses, a significant reduction in national debt, and tremendous growth in domestic and foreign investment. However, the country faces growing economic challenges. The oil sector dominates the economy but employs relatively few workers, while productivity in other economic sectors does not reach the levels set by the world's best. As the Kingdom seizes new opportunities that will lead toward greater prosperity for its citizens, the NCC will play a fundamental role in orchestrating competitiveness enhancement efforts, and will provide a valuable, data-driven, voice for the Economic Leadership of Saudi Arabia. This issue of the Competitiveness Review provides an update on the improvements made in Saudi Arabia in 2007 and offers an assessment of further improvements we can make to achieve our full potential.

Information and Communication Technologies Cluster Review The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)Review, written by the National Competitiveness Center (NCC). As part of the NCC's ongoing efforts to support and enhance SAGIA's 10x10 initiative, the ICT Cluster Review provides a detailed, current, and objective assessment of competitiveness within Saudi Arabia's ICT cluster.

Economic Impact of Administrative Barriers As part of its role to improve the competitiveness of the Kingdom, the NCC has produced a preliminary estimate of the cost of bureaucracy to businesses in Saudi Arabia. The burden of administration is strongly correlated with competitiveness – in highly competitive economies, governments tend to impose low administrative burdens on business, resulting in increased productivity and higher standards of living for their citizens