The present two-part article takes a personal look at the situation and development concerning studies and economic teachings on the Arab world in Spain. The first part is the history that contextualises the state of studies on the Arab world inside the framework of mainstream economic trends, with the main conclusion drawn from this first part concerning how Arab economies are not the preferred subject of study in the economics profession, despite specific events –the oil crisis in the 1970s or the impetus in Europe of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership in the 1990s– helping to advance this study. The second part focuses on an analysis of the evolution (2006-2016) of economics studies on the Arab world in Spain. Thisnon-exhaustive analysis is based on the theories read in Spain in recent years and the activity of a small selection of think tanks and Spanish public diplomacy centres. Conclusions show that, despite the dearth of economics studies on the Arabworld in the country, over the past decade, in light of new problems and the task of promoting centres, a small nucleus of economists working in this field has started to emerge.
Arab economies, geoeconomics of energy, rentier state, Euro-Mediterranean cooperation,trade, business, Islamic finance, public diplomacy, Arab economists.