Industrial Park Role as a Catalyst for Regional Development: Zooming on Middle East Countries

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear Authors,

 

thank you for your work. It is an interesting piece, however some chan should be implemented

1. Research problem and gap stated. It is now not clear.

2. Research design part restructured - too much information on the design, rather too less on results.

3. Results section needs to be introduced and results discussed more deeply.

4. Discussion section should compare your work with the existing one.

5. Conclusions should include not only managerial, but also research contribution and implications.

I wish you good luck!

 

Please also check your spelling, some table numbering is missing, also their referencing in the main body.

 

Author Response

Dear Editor:

On behalf of my co-author, we thank you very much for your positive comments and constructive suggestions for our paper (Industrial Park role as a Catalyst for Regional Development: Zooming on Middle East Countries).

All authors are very grateful for your comments and affirmations. All comments are like a beacon, pointing the way to perfection for our paper. Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. The statements have been corrected.

We provide a one-to-one solution for each comment. Revised portion are marked in yellow in the paper and the green highlight already wrote it in the paper.

Thank you again for your contribution to the improvement of this article, and wish you and your family a happy life.

 

(Reviewer 1)

1. Research problem and gap stated. It is now not clear.
   1. Aim & question

Following the significance and goals of developing industrial parks in the Middle East, the country quickly transitioned from an oil and agricultural economy to an industrial one. [20]. One of its main challenges is rapid industrialization growth, especially in urban areas, which has created significant regional economic inequalities [21,22]. Economic inequality has always been a source of concern for developing countries. [23,24,25] Mainly focus on the role of industrial parks in developing and eliminating regional inequlity and propose alternatives. However, studies have been conducted to assess the impact of industrial parks on regional inequlity. They have failed to provide these details for countries with similar conditions, such as the Middle East region. The latter's economies are primarily based on oil and agriculture and have only recently begun to transition to industrial economics. It is a novel topic that can be researched in industrial park performance in Middle Eastern countries.

Thus, This approach is used in this study to answer the following two main questions: Is the construction of industrial parks impacting the economic growth of targeted areas, and if so, how much? Which macroeconomic variables have the most influence on specific countries?

Thus, the goal of this research is to investigate methods for evaluating the regional development of Middle Eastern countries influenced by developing industrial parks. Furthermore, making recommendations for the development of a beneficial industrial park in the Middle East region. Based on panel data analysis and GIS technology, this study aims to evaluate and investigate the evolution of the Middle East region's industrial parks from 2000 to 2018. The study's findings are expected to have significant theoretical and practical implications for industrial park development toward regional development.

This study is expected to serve as a model for panel data research in other similar regions.As a result, this work adds a three-dimensional to the literature. First, this study studies the macroeconomic criteria in the area and describes the selected factors. Second, a panel data model was employed in this study to assess the impact of industrial park expansion on economic growth, environmental pollution, and the rate of urbanization. Third, based on the model analysis results and the classification of countries depending on their development, this article will present policy implications for the plan. The following sections categorize the selected nations to provide an overview of the current stage of industrial park development. The remainder of this study is divided into four sections: the second introduces the relevant literature by utilizing scientometric analysis, the third section is adopted data sources and methodology; the fourth includes the result and the fifth is discussion; and the last section includes the theoretical conclusion.

2. the structure rewrote
3. Results section needs to be introduced and results discussed more deeply.
4. Discussion section should compare your work with the existing one.

The reply for comment number 3,4

There have been few studies that use data panel analysis to examine the role of industrial parks in regional development in the Middle East. This study integrates a data panel method for the first time, integrating geographic detectors and macroeconomic factors, which makes industrial parks, and provides new research methods and understanding for industrial park development in a new research area.

. Integration of industrial park with regional development

The development of industrial parks played an important role in regional development, which is consistent with the work of[77,78]. Regional areas benefit economically from the development of industrial parks. The findings of this study could be useful for developing the industrial park and improving regional development factors. In this regard, some studies, such as [80,81-82], used data panel analysis within Chinese regions to assess the economic performance and environmental impacts of industrial park development. They focused on macroeconomic and pollutant criteria among Chinese municipal areas. The results show that establishing environmentally friendly industrial parks has significantly reduced industrial pollution and increased the sustainable economic situation. As a result, establishing industrial parks will have an immediate and consequential impact on economic development and environmental pollution, despite the fact that corresponding research is rare in various geographical locations.

As a result, based on panel data, the impact of the industrial park on FDI, labor force, and GDP is significant and positive. It demonstrates that pursuing industrial park development can improve FDI, which is consistent with our expectations as well as the findings of De Simone & D'Uva [79], Pan & Wang [80], and Li & Wang ; Peng et al [81,82]. To successfully overcome the green barrier and enter a larger international market, Saudi Arabia enterprises, like the UAE, continue to engage in multi-directional innovation in areas such as strategy, management, and technology, which has had a significant positive impact on regional development factors.

The data panel result for the rate of urbanization and population, on the other hand, is significantly positive. This is in agreement with Tian et al. [83], Cavallo et al. [84], and Davis & Kingsley [85]. The establishment of industrial parks as a result of regional development can result in rapid urbanization, which can exacerbate the negative effects of pollution [86] and the disparity between rural and urban areas. At this stage of rapid urbanization in Iran and Jordan, national urbanization has increased from 75.94 and 92 percent in 2021 respectively, while global urbanization has increased from 56.2 percent to over the same period (Report by World Bank 2021)

 

5. Conclusions should include not only managerial, but also research contribution and implications.

6. Conclusions

Industrial paark develpment have been increasingly important in developing regions during the last two decades.in this regard, This study aimed to ascertain the regional development viability of industrial park in terms, GDP,labor force, population, urbanization, CO₂ emission and FDI from 2000 to 2018. Thus,the investigation of the effect of industrial parks on regional development creteria, the data panel analysis is used. The main conclusions of this study have been outlined as follows:

 

Industrial parks have enhanced regional development, demonstrating the necessity and significance of establishing industrial parks. The time series model could reveal the effects of industrial parks on regional development with accuracy. Thus, the advantage of the data panel model over the time series model in policy evaluation has been proved. This study supports the effects of industrial parks on regional development. In particular, the effects of industrial park development on economic growth in Iran and Egypt are weaker than in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, the effects of industrial parks at different regional levels have differed significantly, emphasizing the importance and necessity of classified management.

 

Further research in the following areas is possible. Due to the obvious distinct advantages of data panel analysis, it is ideal for large-scale research. As a result, national- and even global-scale data panel evaluations are possible. Analyses based on the coupling of data panel and regional development factors can be carried out to determine the relationship between the industrial park and regional development, which will improve suggestions for developing industrial parks towards regional development, particularly in the process of urbanization.

 

. policy implications

for more efficient development of industrial parks, there are some suggestions from urban planner’s perspective, which can be divided into three aspects of economic growth, environmental issues, and reduction in regional disparities, as described in the following;

First of all, the selected countries are divided into two groups. The first group includes Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Bahrain, and the second group includes Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and Iran. The main difference between the first and second groups is the average GDP growth level (Table 8). Accordingly, considering the situation of the second group, these countries should rethink their policy development and pay more attention to the economic growth rate, especially in Iran and Egypt. Furthermore, the second group has in terms of specialist labor force training, as another significant difference compared to the first group. The proposed solution to improve the quality of these countries is to enhance human development and training of skilled labor, as well as technology, which leads to increased income and economic development. Finally, regarding the economic development sector, the economic growth of all countries that have survived, such as Iran, Egypt, and Turkey, depends on variables such as the development of technology, capital decentralization, human capital development, and working environment improvement, and macroeconomic stability.

Secondly, industrial park development, the governments should stress green growth. Environmental issues are the primary step of the development plan in developed and developing countries. Thus, the traditional model of the industrial parks should be upgraded towards a green development plan. According to this plan, the situation will be improved by increasing the economic growth rate and reducing the environmental pollution as far as possible. A green environment includes the use of renewable energy, the design and implementation of green space in industrial parks, and the use of up-to-date materials in the construction of industrial parks. Iran and Saudi Arabia should consider this issue in proportion to the rest of the countries. In particular, Iran has the highest rate of CO₂ emission growth among the studied countries and, consequently, a high rank regarding the CO₂emissions of big cities in the world.

The third and last essential challenge review of developing industrial parks is regional disparities, mong the selected countries. due to this issue,The  government should consider  Instead of increasing the number of industrial parks in the megacities, they should develop industrial parks in the rural and less developed regions based on the upgraded industrial park development. Therefore, countries with the same situation  can simultaneously achieve the lofty goal of developing industrial parks considering sustaibilty economic, social and envirionment approaches.

 

 

 

Reviewer 2 Report

The work focuses on the role of Industrial Park as a Catalyst for Regional Development, which is a relevant issue and within the scope of Land Journal. 

Nevertheless, I believe this paper should be revised with some major revisions for the following reasons: 

 1)   The objectives are not presented clearly. Supposedly, they correspond to the research questions addressed.

2) The author chose to highlight the relevant literature using adequate software in the Literature Review section. However, the conclusions presented are too superficial to support the empirical exercise addressed further.

3)    Regarding the empirical exercise:

3.1 no data sources are indicated 

3.2 there are no references supporting the choice of variables 

3.3 the section addressing the Discussion presents more results instead of discussing them, considering the theoretical framework 

4)    The manuscript presents several formatting flaws

5)    The English was very often very confusing and difficult to read.

Author Response

Dear Editor:

On behalf of my co-author, we thank you very much for your positive comments and constructive suggestions for our paper (Industrial Park role as a Catalyst for Regional Development: Zooming on Middle East Countries).

All authors are very grateful for your comments and affirmations. All comments are like a beacon, pointing the way to perfection for our paper. Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. The statements have been corrected.

We provide a one-to-one solution for each comment. Revised portion are marked in yellow in the paperand the green highlight already wrote it in the paper.

Thank you again for your contribution to the improvement of this article, and wish you and your family a happy life.

 

(Reviewer 1)

1. )   The objectives are not presented clearly. Supposedly, they correspond to the research questions addressed.
   • Aim & question

Following the significance and goals of developing industrial parks in the Middle East, the country quickly transitioned from an oil and agricultural economy to an industrial one. [20]. One of its main challenges is rapid industrialization growth, especially in urban areas, which has created significant regional economic inequalities [21,22]. Economic inequality has always been a source of concern for developing countries. [23,24,25] Mainly focus on the role of industrial parks in developing and eliminating regional inequlity and propose alternatives. However, studies have been conducted to assess the impact of industrial parks on regional inequlity. They have failed to provide these details for countries with similar conditions, such as the Middle East region. The latter's economies are primarily based on oil and agriculture and have only recently begun to transition to industrial economics. It is a novel topic that can be researched in industrial park performance in Middle Eastern countries.

Thus, This approach is used in this study to answer the following two main questions: Is the construction of industrial parks impacting the economic growth of targeted areas, and if so, how much? Which macroeconomic variables have the most influence on specific countries?

Thus, the goal of this research is to investigate methods for evaluating the regional development of Middle Eastern countries influenced by developing industrial parks. Furthermore, making recommendations for the development of a beneficial industrial park in the Middle East region. Based on panel data analysis and GIS technology, this study aims to evaluate and investigate the evolution of the Middle East region's industrial parks from 2000 to 2018. The study's findings are expected to have significant theoretical and practical implications for industrial park development toward regional development.

This study is expected to serve as a model for panel data research in other similar regions.As a result, this work adds a three-dimensional to the literature. First, this study studies the macroeconomic criteria in the area and describes the selected factors. Second, a panel data model was employed in this study to assess the impact of industrial park expansion on economic growth, environmental pollution, and the rate of urbanization. Third, based on the model analysis results and the classification of countries depending on their development, this article will present policy implications for the plan. The following sections categorize the selected nations to provide an overview of the current stage of industrial park development. The remainder of this study is divided into four sections: the second introduces the relevant literature by utilizing scientometric analysis, the third section is adopted data sources and methodology; the fourth includes the result and the fifth is discussion; and the last section includes the theoretical conclusion.

2. The author chose to highlight the relevant literature using adequate software in the Literature Review section. However, the conclusions presented are too superficial to support the empirical exercise addressed further.

Industrial paark develpment have been increasingly important in developing regions during the last two decades.in this regard, This study aimed to ascertain the regional development viability of industrial park in terms, GDP,labor force, population, urbanization, CO₂ emission and FDI from 2000 to 2018. Thus,the investigation of the effect of industrial parks on regional development creteria, the data panel analysis is used. The main conclusions of this study have been outlined as follows:

Industrial parks have enhanced regional development, demonstrating the necessity and significance of establishing industrial parks. The time series model could reveal the effects of industrial parks on regional development with accuracy. Thus, the advantage of the data panel model over the time series model in policy evaluation has been proved. This study supports the effects of industrial parks on regional development. In particular, the effects of industrial park development on economic growth in Iran and Egypt are weaker than in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, the effects of industrial parks at different regional levels have differed significantly, emphasizing the importance and necessity of classified management.

 

Further research in the following areas is possible. Due to the obvious distinct advantages of data panel analysis, it is ideal for large-scale research. As a result, national- and even global-scale data panel evaluations are possible. Analyses based on the coupling of data panel and regional development factors can be carried out to determine the relationship between the industrial park and regional development, which will improve suggestions for developing industrial parks towards regional development, particularly in the process of urbanization.

 

3. Regarding the empirical exercise:

3.1 no data sources are indicated 

3.2 there are no references supporting the choice of variables 

3.3. Data Source

The data for this research study was obtained from several credible sources. Specifically, the founding dates and locations of selected countries were collected from the organization and institute of Industries and Industrial Parks Organization of each selected countries. In the following points, Since industrial parks are not the only factor influencing regional development, numerous factors are analyzed to account for the unique features of each country. Furthermore, annual statistical yearbook updated statistics data from 2000 to 2018 were used to obtain statistical data such as GDP per capita, foreign direct investment (FDI), urbanization rate (UR), labour force, CO2 emissions, and total population. Furthermore, the core explanatory variable is a dummy variable equal to 1 after the establishment of industrial parks and 0 otherwise. The descriptive statistics for all variables are shown in Table 3.

 

3.3 the section addressing the Discussion presents more results instead of discussing them, considering the theoretical framework 

There have been few studies that use data panel analysis to examine the role of industrial parks in regional development in the Middle East. This study integrates a data panel method for the first time, integrating geographic detectors and macroeconomic factors, which makes industrial parks, and provides new research methods and understanding for industrial park development in a new research area.

 

. Integration of industrial park with regional development

The development of industrial parks played an important role in regional development, which is consistent with the work of[77,78]. Regional areas benefit economically from the development of industrial parks. The findings of this study could be useful for developing the industrial park and improving regional development factors. In this regard, some studies, such as [80,81-82], used data panel analysis within Chinese regions to assess the economic performance and environmental impacts of industrial park development. They focused on macroeconomic and pollutant criteria among Chinese municipal areas. The results show that establishing environmentally friendly industrial parks has significantly reduced industrial pollution and increased the sustainable economic situation. As a result, establishing industrial parks will have an immediate and consequential impact on economic development and environmental pollution, despite the fact that corresponding research is rare in various geographical locations.

As a result, based on panel data, the impact of the industrial park on FDI, labor force, and GDP is significant and positive. It demonstrates that pursuing industrial park development can improve FDI, which is consistent with our expectations as well as the findings of De Simone & D'Uva [79], Pan & Wang [80], and Li & Wang ; Peng et al [81,82]. To successfully overcome the green barrier and enter a larger international market, Saudi Arabia enterprises, like the UAE, continue to engage in multi-directional innovation in areas such as strategy, management, and technology, which has had a significant positive impact on regional development factors.

The data panel result for the rate of urbanization and population, on the other hand, is significantly positive. This is in agreement with Tian et al. [83], Cavallo et al. [84], and Davis & Kingsley [85]. The establishment of industrial parks as a result of regional development can result in rapid urbanization, which can exacerbate the negative effects of pollution [86] and the disparity between rural and urban areas. At this stage of rapid urbanization in Iran and Jordan, national urbanization has increased from 75.94 and 92 percent in 2021 respectively, while global urbanization has increased from 56.2 percent to over the same period (Report by World Bank 2021)

4. The manuscript presents several formatting flaws

This time used the LATEX OVERLEAF FORMAT

5. )    The English was very often very confusing and difficult to read.

Rechecked the English part

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

The topic discussed in this paper is very interesting.

The paper is well organized and the methods used are valid and adequate.

The literature review is extremely interesting. 

My overall opinion about this study is very positive. I have, however, a key concern. It regards the discussion of the results. In fact, in its current form, it concentrates on the discussion of econometric elements, without providing a more closer link to previous literature on related topics. This section requires, in my opinion, a detailed revision.

Author Response

Dear Editor:

On behalf of my co-author, we thank you very much for your positive comments and constructive suggestions for our paper (Industrial Park role as a Catalyst for Regional Development: Zooming on Middle East Countries).

All authors are very grateful for your comments and affirmations. All comments are like a beacon, pointing the way to perfection for our paper. Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. The statements have been corrected.

We provide a one-to-one solution for each comment. Revised portion are marked in yellow in the paperand the green highlight already wrote it in the paper.

Thank you again for your contribution to the improvement of this article, and wish you and your family a happy life.

 

(Reviewer 1)

1. My overall opinion about this study is very positive. I have, however, a key concern. It regards the discussion of the results. In fact, in its current form, it concentrates on the discussion of econometric elements, without providing a more closer link to previous literature on related topics. This section requires, in my opinion, a detailed revision.

 

5. Disscussion

There have been few studies that use data panel analysis to examine the role of industrial parks in regional development in the Middle East. This study integrates a data panel method for the first time, integrating geographic detectors and macroeconomic factors, which makes industrial parks, and provides new research methods and understanding for industrial park development in a new research area.

. Integration of industrial park with regional development

The development of industrial parks played an important role in regional development, which is consistent with the work of[77,78]. Regional areas benefit economically from the development of industrial parks. The findings of this study could be useful for developing the industrial park and improving regional development factors. In this regard, some studies, such as [80,81-82], used data panel analysis within Chinese regions to assess the economic performance and environmental impacts of industrial park development. They focused on macroeconomic and pollutant criteria among Chinese municipal areas. The results show that establishing environmentally friendly industrial parks has significantly reduced industrial pollution and increased the sustainable economic situation. As a result, establishing industrial parks will have an immediate and consequential impact on economic development and environmental pollution, despite the fact that corresponding research is rare in various geographical locations.

As a result, based on panel data, the impact of the industrial park on FDI, labor force, and GDP is significant and positive. It demonstrates that pursuing industrial park development can improve FDI, which is consistent with our expectations as well as the findings of De Simone & D'Uva [79], Pan & Wang [80], and Li & Wang ; Peng et al [81,82]. To successfully overcome the green barrier and enter a larger international market, Saudi Arabia enterprises, like the UAE, continue to engage in multi-directional innovation in areas such as strategy, management, and technology, which has had a significant positive impact on regional development factors.

The data panel result for the rate of urbanization and population, on the other hand, is significantly positive. This is in agreement with Tian et al. [83], Cavallo et al. [84], and Davis & Kingsley [85]. The establishment of industrial parks as a result of regional development can result in rapid urbanization, which can exacerbate the negative effects of pollution [86] and the disparity between rural and urban areas. At this stage of rapid urbanization in Iran and Jordan, national urbanization has increased from 75.94 and 92 percent in 2021 respectively, while global urbanization has increased from 56.2 percent to over the same period (Report by World Bank 2021)

 

6. Conclusions

Industrial paark develpment have been increasingly important in developing regions during the last two decades.in this regard, This study aimed to ascertain the regional development viability of industrial park in terms, GDP,labor force, population, urbanization, CO₂ emission and FDI from 2000 to 2018. Thus,the investigation of the effect of industrial parks on regional development creteria, the data panel analysis is used. The main conclusions of this study have been outlined as follows:

 

Industrial parks have enhanced regional development, demonstrating the necessity and significance of establishing industrial parks. The time series model could reveal the effects of industrial parks on regional development with accuracy. Thus, the advantage of the data panel model over the time series model in policy evaluation has been proved. This study supports the effects of industrial parks on regional development. In particular, the effects of industrial park development on economic growth in Iran and Egypt are weaker than in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, the effects of industrial parks at different regional levels have differed significantly, emphasizing the importance and necessity of classified management.

 

Further research in the following areas is possible. Due to the obvious distinct advantages of data panel analysis, it is ideal for large-scale research. As a result, national- and even global-scale data panel evaluations are possible. Analyses based on the coupling of data panel and regional development factors can be carried out to determine the relationship between the industrial park and regional development, which will improve suggestions for developing industrial parks towards regional development, particularly in the process of urbanization.

 

. policy implications

for more efficient development of industrial parks, there are some suggestions from urban planner’s perspective, which can be divided into three aspects of economic growth, environmental issues, and reduction in regional disparities, as described in the following;

First of all, the selected countries are divided into two groups. The first group includes Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Bahrain, and the second group includes Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and Iran. The main difference between the first and second groups is the average GDP growth level (Table 8). Accordingly, considering the situation of the second group, these countries should rethink their policy development and pay more attention to the economic growth rate, especially in Iran and Egypt. Furthermore, the second group has in terms of specialist labor force training, as another significant difference compared to the first group. The proposed solution to improve the quality of these countries is to enhance human development and training of skilled labor, as well as technology, which leads to increased income and economic development. Finally, regarding the economic development sector, the economic growth of all countries that have survived, such as Iran, Egypt, and Turkey, depends on variables such as the development of technology, capital decentralization, human capital development, and working environment improvement, and macroeconomic stability.

Secondly, industrial park development, the governments should stress green growth. Environmental issues are the primary step of the development plan in developed and developing countries. Thus, the traditional model of the industrial parks should be upgraded towards a green development plan. According to this plan, the situation will be improved by increasing the economic growth rate and reducing the environmental pollution as far as possible. A green environment includes the use of renewable energy, the design and implementation of green space in industrial parks, and the use of up-to-date materials in the construction of industrial parks. Iran and Saudi Arabia should consider this issue in proportion to the rest of the countries. In particular, Iran has the highest rate of CO₂ emission growth among the studied countries and, consequently, a high rank regarding the CO₂ emissions of big cities in the world.

The third and last essential challenge review of developing industrial parks is regional disparities, mong the selected countries. due to this issue,The  government should consider  Instead of increasing the number of industrial parks in the megacities, they should develop industrial parks in the rural and less developed regions based on the upgraded industrial park development. Therefore, countries with the same situation  can simultaneously achieve the lofty goal of developing industrial parks considering sustaibilty economic, social and envirionment approaches.

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

Dear Authors,

After reviewing article „ Industrial Park role as a Catalyst for Regional Development:  Zooming on Middle East Countries” , I have comments and suggestions as follows:

INTRODDUCTION: In my opinion, the paper lacks clearly presented hypotheses of the work to which the text refers to their relevance in the research  (3.4. Model Specification, 4. Discusion).

STUDY AREA: I suggest placing the location of the research area on the map.

METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK: 3.2.1. The situation of industrial park in middle east countries - Despite the extensively discussed literature in the paper, which should be emphasized, there is no definitive justification for the selection of indicators.  The statement in line 203 does not satisfy me

DATA SOURCE:  In this section of the paper lacks information on what institutions the data was obtained from and for what time period.

CONCLUSIONS: After the amendments have been introduced. I suggest rewording the conclusions in this form they are too general in relation to the research problem posed, which I hope will be supplemented by the hypotheses posed.

OTHER: Figure 2 should be corrected - information has been cut off. At the same time, I have reservations about the legends in Figure 4 (the units of the indicators and the numerical notation are not clear) 

 

                                                                                                            Reviewer

 

Author Response

Dear Editor:

On behalf of my co-author, we thank you very much for your positive comments and constructive suggestions for our paper (Industrial Park role as a Catalyst for Regional Development: Zooming on Middle East Countries).

All authors are very grateful for your comments and affirmations. All comments are like a beacon, pointing the way to perfection for our paper. Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. The statements have been corrected.

We provide a one-to-one solution for each comment. Revised portion are marked in yellow in the paperand the green highlight already wrote it in the paper.

Thank you again for your contribution to the improvement of this article, and wish you and your family a happy life.

 

(Reviewer 1)

1. INTRODDUCTION: In my opinion, the paper lacks clearly presented hypotheses of the work to which the text refers to their relevance in the research  (3.4. Model Specification, 4. Discusion).
   1. Aim & question

Following the significance and goals of developing industrial parks in the Middle East, the country quickly transitioned from an oil and agricultural economy to an industrial one. [20]. One of its main challenges is rapid industrialization growth, especially in urban areas, which has created significant regional economic inequalities [21,22]. Economic inequality has always been a source of concern for developing countries. [23,24,25] Mainly focus on the role of industrial parks in developing and eliminating regional inequlity and propose alternatives. However, studies have been conducted to assess the impact of industrial parks on regional inequlity. They have failed to provide these details for countries with similar conditions, such as the Middle East region. The latter's economies are primarily based on oil and agriculture and have only recently begun to transition to industrial economics. It is a novel topic that can be researched in industrial park performance in Middle Eastern countries.

Thus, This approach is used in this study to answer the following two main questions: Is the construction of industrial parks impacting the economic growth of targeted areas, and if so, how much? Which macroeconomic variables have the most influence on specific countries?

Thus, the goal of this research is to investigate methods for evaluating the regional development of Middle Eastern countries influenced by developing industrial parks. Furthermore, making recommendations for the development of a beneficial industrial park in the Middle East region. Based on panel data analysis and GIS technology, this study aims to evaluate and investigate the evolution of the Middle East region's industrial parks from 2000 to 2018. The study's findings are expected to have significant theoretical and practical implications for industrial park development toward regional development.

This study is expected to serve as a model for panel data research in other similar regions.As a result, this work adds a three-dimensional to the literature. First, this study studies the macroeconomic criteria in the area and describes the selected factors. Second, a panel data model was employed in this study to assess the impact of industrial park expansion on economic growth, environmental pollution, and the rate of urbanization. Third, based on the model analysis results and the classification of countries depending on their development, this article will present policy implications for the plan. The following sections categorize the selected nations to provide an overview of the current stage of industrial park development. The remainder of this study is divided into four sections: the second introduces the relevant literature by utilizing scientometric analysis, the third section is adopted data sources and methodology; the fourth includes the result and the fifth is discussion; and the last section includes the theoretical conclusion.

2. STUDY AREA: I suggest placing the location of the research area on the map.
3. METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK: 3.2.1. The situation of industrial park in middle east countries - Despite the extensively discussed literature in the paper, which should be emphasized, there is no definitive justification for the selection of indicators.  The statement in line 203 does not satisfy me

Disscussion

There have been few studies that use data panel analysis to examine the role of industrial parks in regional development in the Middle East. This study integrates a data panel method for the first time, integrating geographic detectors and macroeconomic factors, which makes industrial parks, and provides new research methods and understanding for industrial park development in a new research area.

 

. Integration of industrial park with regional development

The development of industrial parks played an important role in regional development, which is consistent with the work of[77,78]. Regional areas benefit economically from the development of industrial parks. The findings of this study could be useful for developing the industrial park and improving regional development factors. In this regard, some studies, such as [80,81-82], used data panel analysis within Chinese regions to assess the economic performance and environmental impacts of industrial park development. They focused on macroeconomic and pollutant criteria among Chinese municipal areas. The results show that establishing environmentally friendly industrial parks has significantly reduced industrial pollution and increased the sustainable economic situation. As a result, establishing industrial parks will have an immediate and consequential impact on economic development and environmental pollution, despite the fact that corresponding research is rare in various geographical locations.

As a result, based on panel data, the impact of the industrial park on FDI, labor force, and GDP is significant and positive. It demonstrates that pursuing industrial park development can improve FDI, which is consistent with our expectations as well as the findings of De Simone & D'Uva [79], Pan & Wang [80], and Li & Wang ; Peng et al [81,82]. To successfully overcome the green barrier and enter a larger international market, Saudi Arabia enterprises, like the UAE, continue to engage in multi-directional innovation in areas such as strategy, management, and technology, which has had a significant positive impact on regional development factors.

The data panel result for the rate of urbanization and population, on the other hand, is significantly positive. This is in agreement with Tian et al. [83], Cavallo et al. [84], and Davis & Kingsley [85]. The establishment of industrial parks as a result of regional development can result in rapid urbanization, which can exacerbate the negative effects of pollution [86] and the disparity between rural and urban areas. At this stage of rapid urbanization in Iran and Jordan, national urbanization has increased from 75.94 and 92 percent in 2021 respectively, while global urbanization has increased from 56.2 percent to over the same period (Report by World Bank 2021)

Reply to the line 203

This part rewrote;

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also represents a notable successful instance from the 1990s[58]. The UAE has mainly focused on developing industrial parks to boost foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade markets [59,60].

4. DATA SOURCE:  In this section of the paper lacks information on what institutions the data was obtained from and for what time period.

The data for this research study was obtained from several credible sources. Specifically, the founding dates and locations of selected countries were collected from the organization and institute of Industries and Industrial Parks Organization of each selected countries. In the following points, Since industrial parks are not the only factor influencing regional development, numerous factors are analyzed to account for the unique features of each country. Furthermore, annual statistical yearbook updated statistics data from 2000 to 2018 were used to obtain statistical data such as GDP per capita, foreign direct investment (FDI), urbanization rate (UR), labour force, CO2 emissions, and total population. Furthermore, the core explanatory variable is a dummy variable equal to 1 after the establishment of industrial parks and 0 otherwise. The descriptive statistics for all variables are shown in Table 3.

 

5. CONCLUSIONS: After the amendments have been introduced. I suggest rewording the conclusions in this form they are too general in relation to the research problem posed, which I hope will be supplemented by the hypotheses posed.

 

6. Conclusions

Industrial paark develpment have been increasingly important in developing regions during the last two decades.in this regard, This study aimed to ascertain the regional development viability of industrial park in terms, GDP,labor force, population, urbanization, CO₂ emission and FDI from 2000 to 2018. Thus,the investigation of the effect of industrial parks on regional development creteria, the data panel analysis is used. The main conclusions of this study have been outlined as follows:

 

Industrial parks have enhanced regional development, demonstrating the necessity and significance of establishing industrial parks. The time series model could reveal the effects of industrial parks on regional development with accuracy. Thus, the advantage of the data panel model over the time series model in policy evaluation has been proved. This study supports the effects of industrial parks on regional development. In particular, the effects of industrial park development on economic growth in Iran and Egypt are weaker than in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, the effects of industrial parks at different regional levels have differed significantly, emphasizing the importance and necessity of classified management.

 

Further research in the following areas is possible. Due to the obvious distinct advantages of data panel analysis, it is ideal for large-scale research. As a result, national- and even global-scale data panel evaluations are possible. Analyses based on the coupling of data panel and regional development factors can be carried out to determine the relationship between the industrial park and regional development, which will improve suggestions for developing industrial parks towards regional development, particularly in the process of urbanization.

 

. policy implications

for more efficient development of industrial parks, there are some suggestions from urban planner’s perspective, which can be divided into three aspects of economic growth, environmental issues, and reduction in regional disparities, as described in the following;

First of all, the selected countries are divided into two groups. The first group includes Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Bahrain, and the second group includes Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and Iran. The main difference between the first and second groups is the average GDP growth level (Table 8). Accordingly, considering the situation of the second group, these countries should rethink their policy development and pay more attention to the economic growth rate, especially in Iran and Egypt. Furthermore, the second group has in terms of specialist labor force training, as another significant difference compared to the first group. The proposed solution to improve the quality of these countries is to enhance human development and training of skilled labor, as well as technology, which leads to increased income and economic development. Finally, regarding the economic development sector, the economic growth of all countries that have survived, such as Iran, Egypt, and Turkey, depends on variables such as the development of technology, capital decentralization, human capital development, and working environment improvement, and macroeconomic stability.

Secondly, industrial park development, the governments should stress green growth. Environmental issues are the primary step of the development plan in developed and developing countries. Thus, the traditional model of the industrial parks should be upgraded towards a green development plan. According to this plan, the situation will be improved by increasing the economic growth rate and reducing the environmental pollution as far as possible. A green environment includes the use of renewable energy, the design and implementation of green space in industrial parks, and the use of up-to-date materials in the construction of industrial parks. Iran and Saudi Arabia should consider this issue in proportion to the rest of the countries. In particular, Iran has the highest rate of CO₂ emission growth among the studied countries and, consequently, a high rank regarding the CO₂emissions of big cities in the world.

The third and last essential challenge review of developing industrial parks is regional disparities, mong the selected countries. due to this issue,The  government should consider  Instead of increasing the number of industrial parks in the megacities, they should develop industrial parks in the rural and less developed regions based on the upgraded industrial park development. Therefore, countries with the same situation  can simultaneously achieve the lofty goal of developing industrial parks considering sustaibilty economic, social and envirionment approaches.

 

6. OTHER: Figure 2 should be corrected - information has been cut off. At the same time, I have reservations about the legends in Figure 4 (the units of the indicators and the numerical notation are not clear) 

Figure 4 is redesigned

 

 

Figure 2 was edited

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

The authors addressed the questions appropriately. The manuscript has been sufficiently improved to warrant publication in Land.

Reviewer 3 Report

In my opinion, the new version of the paper is ready for publication.