ABSTRACT
The lavish provision of social services in Gulf states is a major incentive for Jordanians to work there, and the departure of Jordanians in families is in some ways a welcome relief to the Jordanian economy. Jordan occupies a strategic position in the Middle East: bordering Israel, she has suffered in Middle East wars and continues to devote large sums to defence. The successful migration of individuals whose skills are in considerable demand outside Jordan is described within Jordan as the ‘brain drain’ problem. The Jordanian economy is, by Middle East standards, small and highly susceptible to external influences. The Jordanian economy is suffering a familiar problem of developing countries; attempts to expand the productive base of the economy and hence exports are resulting in a worsening trade balance in the short run. Planning economic development in Jordan, or any other small economy in the Middle East, is an extremely difficult task.
