Policy-Making in the GCC: State, Citizens and Institutions

The GCC is a major player in the post-2011 reordering of the Middle East. Despite the rise in prominence of individual Gulf states - especially Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - and the growth of the GCC as a collective entity, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the actual mechanics of policy-making in the region. This book analyses the vital role that institutions are coming to play in shaping policy in the Gulf Arab states. The research coincides with two key developments that have given institutions new importance in the policy process: the emergence of a new generation of leaders in the Gulf, and the era of low oil prices. Both developments, along with dramatic demographic change, have compelled state and citizens to re-evaluate the nature of the social contract that binds them together. Contributors assess the changing relationship between state and citizen and evaluate the role that formal and informal institutions play in mediating such change and informing policy.The book shows how academic, social and economic institutions are responding to the increasingly complex process of decision-making, where citizens demand better services and further empowerment, and states are obliged to seek wider counsel, although wanting to retain ultimate authority. With contributions from both academics and practitioners, this book will be highly relevant for researchers and policymakers alike.

Table of Contents:
Introduction and Overview Mark C. Thompson and Neil Quilliam PART 1: THE STATE AND E-GOVERNMENT 1 Identity and State in the Gulf: The Case of Kuwait Shafeeq Ghabra 2 Saudi Arabia’s Support for International Development Mehtab Currey, Abdullah Al Shoaibi and Nassir Al Kasabi 3 GCC Governments Responding to Public Needs through E-government: Progress and Limitations of Public Administration Reform Sherif Fawzi Abdel Gawad and Maggie Kamel 4 Governance, Participation and ICT: Assessing the Role of E-Government in the State of Qatar Rhea Abraham PART 2: CITIZENS: ECONOMY AND LABOUR ISSUES 5 Economic Diversification and the Emergence of Inclusive Economic Institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council States I-Tsung Tsai and Abdullah Kaya 6 Youth Employability and its Cultural and Institutional Context: Do Current Institutions and Policies Promote or Prevent Greater Productivity and Positivity within Local Labour Markets Towards the Knowledge-Based Economies of the Future? David Jones, Radhika Punshi and Gauri Gupta 7 A Review and Critique of the Saudisation Metanarrative: Bringing ‘the Citizen’ into Focus Faisal Kattan PART 3: INSTITUTIONAL PROCESSES 8 Institutional Processes and Gender Issues: The Women’s Cultural and Social Society as an Agent of Change in Kuwaiti Politics Alanoud Alsharekh 9 The Rise and Role of State Philanthropy in the United Arab Emirates Natasha Ridge and Susan Kippels 10 The Role of Private, Non-Government Organisations and New State Institutions in the Gulf in the Development of Civil Society: The Example of Saudi Arabia Adam Kulach Bibliography Contributors Index