This study sought to gain perspective on the causes for the lack of competitiveness of the Palestinian products. Improving competitiveness is one of the vital steps in establishing a Palestinian industrial sector that is able to be sustainable and endure the unnatural circumstances which currently exist in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt).

The study was conducted in order to examine how the costs of infrastructure affect the competitiveness of the Palestinian industrial sector at the different industrial branches of this sector according to the categorization by the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC).

The study has compared the status of infrastructure in the oPt with that of similar countries through utilizing a set of indicators that reflect the share and return of an establishment or an individual in it, in addition to its production where possible. The study concluded a set of recommendations that aim to enhance the competitiveness of the Palestinian industrial sector; through analysis of the industrial cost structure for a set of exporting industrial establishments.

The Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS) has published a series of studies through funding by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, which aims to enhance the competitiveness of the Palestinian private sector. For completing these efforts, MAS has published a study entitled “Policies to Promote Entrepreneurship Among Young People in the West Bank and Gaza Strip”.

The goal of this study is to identify the properties of youth entrepreneurship, focus on the factors that surround the entrepreneurial environment for this age group, in addition to programs that aim at preparing the youth entrepreneurship such as the educational system at its various levels, and the available potentials to enable youth entrepreneurship and facilitate private business establishments.

The study examines youth entrepreneurship through focusing on two phases. The first is the preparation phase which emphasizes education, training and general knowledge. The second is the empowerment phase which includes all factors of the practical and applicable environment for entrepreneurship efforts.

The study suggested a number of economic policies that are necessary to foster and enhance entrepreneurship among the Palestinian youth, which covers both the preparation and the empowerment phase. The results form a beginning for putting this subject on the negotiations list in order to encourage more research and attention by the special authorities.