Building a knowledge-based economy in the Muslim world: The critical role of innovation and technological learning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of innovation and technological learning in building a knowledge-based economy in the Muslim world. Despite abundant financial and human capital, most Muslim countries still lack adequate scientific and technological infrastructure to absorb, apply and create knowledge and disseminate information. Design/methodology/approach – Using various major international institutions’ databases (UN, World Bank, OCED, etc.), a holistic approach is used to analyse the critical role of science, technology and innovation to build a knowledge-based economy in Muslim countries. Findings – This paper examines the main challenges facing Muslim countries to build a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation and technological learning. In doing so, a framework for building an effective innovation system that will achieve a knowledge-based economy in Muslim countries is presented, taking into account a variety of international, institutional and intellectual perspectives. Originality/value – Given the scarcity of information and data about the subject area on Muslim countries, the study uses several sources of secondary data which are considered the most valid and reliable data available internationally about the subject.