Qatar’s economy is mainly dependent on oil and gas, making it vulnerable to global economic shifts and in need of diversification. Qatar’s state has always depended on Western consultancies, which largely advance a neoliberal agenda and so do not consider the long-term needs of Qatar’s economy. While a small body of academic literature has criticized Qatar’s economic strategy, this research provides an alternative strategy for diversification, recommending building linkages directed towards industrialisation. The study takes into account the needs of Qatar’s economy, focusing on diversification carried out in a stable way that creates employment, as well as other factors. The study finds that Qatar’s local content policies lack transparency, clarity, and monitoring institutions, as well as penalties and incentives to enforce the rules. Thus, there has been limited progress in forming the backward linkages knowledge linkages that would enable Qatar’s economic diversification.
