Globalization and the leading approaches to become International Hubs. The case study of Dubai.

The idea of this thesis was born after spending three months in Dubai, having the opportunity to work at the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UAE, whose main aim is to help Italian companies in the internationalization process in the GCC area. The objective of this thesis is to analyze this phenomenon deeper through three main blocks. What is important to keep in mind while reading this thesis is that Dubai is no longer a new city where everyone can easily enter, but it has become a saturated market where the entry barriers are getting stronger every day. But at the same time, it is a city that, to enrich both its living and working environment, depends on FDI and companies coming from all around the world. The study will start with a focus on examining the process of globalization and deglobalization, by defining these processes and by considering the various economic theories related to international investment and economic growth. We will look at the main economic growth’s theories such as the Solow Model and at the Foreign Direct Investments theories such as the Dunning’s Eclectic Paradigm. Secondly, since Dubai’s pro-business policies have fueled entrepreneurship and attracted a diverse range of industries, we will reflect on the economic aspects that have proven to be keys on the foreign firms’ decision-making process. Last but not least, the study will be deepened by research involving not only statistical data to prove FDIs' positive impact on GDP but also interviews with experts in the field to better understand how this process is being seen from the outside.