PhD Degree Awarded to Ms. Iman Abdulmalik Bassaid in Economic Sociology

Ms. Iman Abdulmalik Hassan Bassaid was awarded a PhD degree in Economic Sociology for her dissertation titled: Public-Private Partnership in Achieving Sustainable Development: A Sociological Study, which was submitted to the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Monday, September 22, 2025.

The PhD Viva-Voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:

The study aimed to:

• Examine the nature of public-private partnerships in achieving sustainable development in Yemen.
• Explore public-private partnerships in achieving sustainable development in Yemeni legislation.
• Analyze the social realities surrounding public-private partnerships in Yemen.
• Identify the perspectives of interview respondents regarding the role of public-private partnerships in achieving sustainable development in Yemen.

The study yielded several key findings as follows:

• The private sector contributes ethically to some sustainable development goals.
• A lack of trust exists between the public and private sectors.
• Yemeni legislation remains inadequate in regulating the private sector and public-private partnerships.
• Yemen’s social environment is still unprepared to achieve sustainable development, as it lacks investment-attracting infrastructure across different sectors.
• Achieving sustainable development is still perceived as the responsibility of the public sector rather than the private sector.
• Development policies require revision, as policies formulated over a decade ago are no longer suitable due to ongoing social changes in Yemeni society.

In light of these findings, the researcher offered several key recommendations summarized as follows:

• The Ministry of Legal Affairs should revisit and update legislation relating to the private sector.
• Investment promotion should not remain confined to the General Investment Authority; instead, all forms of media should participate in promoting investment opportunities in Yemen.
• Yemeni embassies abroad should be engaged in supporting investment promotion efforts.
• The public sector should provide guarantees and incentives to encourage private sector investment in Yemen.
• Media outlets should contribute to promoting investment through a social investment map, as investment is Yemen’s window to the international world.

The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, researchers, specialists, students, colleagues, and the researcher’s family.