Wages of Oil

Michael Herb

Description

The contrast between Kuwait and the UAE today illustrates the vastly different possible futures facing the smaller states of the Gulf. Dubai's rulers dream of creating a truly global business center, a megalopolis of many millions attracting immigrants in great waves from near and far. Kuwait, meanwhile, has the most spirited and influential parliament in any of the oil-rich Gulf monarchies.In The Wages of Oil, Michael Herb provides a robust framework for thinking about the future of the Gulf monarchies. The Gulf has seen enormous changes in recent years, and more are to come. Herb explains the nature of the changes we are likely to see in the future. He starts by asking why Kuwait is far ahead of all other Gulf monarchies in terms of political liberalization, but behind all of them in its efforts to diversify its economy away from oil. He compares Kuwait with the United Arab Emirates, which lacks Kuwait's parliament but has moved ambitiously to diversify. This data-rich book reflects the importance of both politics and economic development issues for decision-makers in the Gulf. Herb develops a political economy of the Gulf that ties together a variety of issues usually treated separately: Kuwait's National Assembly, Dubai's real estate boom, the paucity of citizen labor in the private sector, class divisions among citizens, the caste divide between citizens and noncitizens, and the politics of land.

Sujets

• Kuwait
• Comparative politics
• History of the Middle East
• United Arab Emirates
• Political economy
• Koweït
• Émirats arabes unis

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 03 mars 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801454691
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

The Wages of Oil

The Wages of Oil

ParliamentsandEconomicDevelopment in Kuwait and the UAE

MichaelHerb

Cornell University Press Ithaca and London

Copyright © 2014 by Cornell University

Allrightsreserved.Exceptforbriefquotationsinareview,thisbook,or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

Firstpublished2014byCornellUniversityPress

PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Herb, Michael, 1966– author.  The wages of oil : Parliaments and economic development in Kuwait and the UAE / Michael Herb.  pages cm  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 978-0-8014-5336-6 (cloth : alk. paper)  1. Democratization—Kuwait. 2. Democratization—United Arab Emirates. 3. Kuwait—Politics and government. 4. United Arab Emirates—Politics and government. 5. Petroleum industry and trade— Political aspects—Kuwait. 6. Petroleum industry and trade—Political aspects—United Arab Emirates. 7. Economic development—Political aspects—Kuwait. 8. Economic development—Political aspects—United Arab Emirates. I. Title. JQ1848.A91H47 2014 330.95357—dc23 2014022400

CornellUniversityPressstrivestouseenvironmentallyresponsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.

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Cover photograph: Burj Khalifa Window, August 2013. Photograph by Francis Cox.

To Aqil and Yasmeen

ListofTablesandFigures Acknowledgments NoteonTransliteration

TwoModels

Contents

1. Labor Markets and Class Politics 2.Participation 3.ExplainingKuwaitiExceptionalism 4. The Consequences of Absolutism 5. The Consequences of Participation 6. What Resource Curse? DilemmasofDevelopmentandDemocracyintheGulf References Index

ix xi xiii

1 18 45 60 107 141 184 193 217 235

Tables

Tables and Figures

2.1.RepresentativeassembliesintheGulfmonarchies 3.1. Composition of state revenues around 1906 3.2. Pearling fleets, population, and armed retainers in the Gulf shaykhdoms 3.3.VisitsbyBritishflaggedsteamerstotheGulfshaykhdoms 3.4.Timelineofthe1962Kuwaiticonstitution 5.1. Cost to export a container 5.2.Qualityofportinfrastructure

Figures

I.1. Net foreign direct investment flows I.2. Rent abundance versus rent dependence I.3. Rent abundance versus rent dependence, fuel and mineral export data I.4. Rents per citizen in the richest rentiers 1.1.PercentageofUAEcitizenmenandwomen in the labor force

47 72

74 75 91 168 168

5 12

13 15

22