LIST OF WORKSHOPS

Arab Gulf countries are undergoing great transformations in response to changing social, economic, political, and demographic circumstances: Dramatic socio-economic transformations, political turbulence, changing narratives, paradigms and attitudes towards the welfare state, increasing institutional complexity, and a ‘crisis of legitimacy’ compounded by conflicts across the Gulf region. These changes have imposed fundamental questions for policy makers and academics who are under pressure to reconsider conventional approaches in social policy interventions. In addition, the recent global economic crisis seems to reframe existing notions and debates even aroused since the 1980s and 90s. As a result, a range of discussions have emerged in search of new policy paradigms across the world. In the Gulf region, there have been various attempts to reorganise and indeed revitalize social policies. Gulf countries have tried to shift from a resource economy (oil and gas) to a knowledge economy as the necessary prelude to a new era. Nevertheless, they still suffer from social loyalties formed in the pre-oil era that have only increased with unprecedented incomes and economic prosperity. The conventional notion of ‘productivism’[1], which puts priority on economic ahead of social policy development, has thereby given way to the idea of ‘social investment’, which emphasizes the allocation of resources to human capital formation along sides social inclusion.

The Gulf States today have the potential to offer a new model of modern cities and towns that impose new forms of urban and social organization which provokes multifaceted debate. Doha, Dubai and Riyadh are futuristic cities and some of the most luxurious in the world. These cities have been marketed as creative centers that combine the global and the local. These new towns have also affected local communities and their symbolic and imagined systems, and remolded their social fabric by changing value systems[2].

Over the next decade, population dynamics will be a crucial factor raising significant questions related to labor and immigration policies, inclusive economic growth, market liberalization, the role of women and youth and their inclusion, and, finally, the political structures of each state. The emergence of these issues in Gulf societies will be priorities that can no longer be postponed. In particular, migration phenomena and demography will play a key role in determining population size and composition, as well as the economic growth and future of the Gulf countries. The reason is simple: land degradation, water stress, climate change, urbanization trends, the generation gap and, more generally, demography are interlinked. It is here that Gulf governments face their greatest challenge, as policymakers will need to effectively capture the multifaceted dynamics of these contexts and propose sustainable policy reforms. The key research questions the workshop will address are:

1.    Historical/normative questions: what have been the major political, social and economic drivers of social policy change in the Arab Gulf states since the last three decades?

2.    Systems: how are social welfare systems organized and how can they be reformed to meet the changing social needs of Gulf populations?

3.    Outcomes/evaluation: How have social welfare systems in this region shaped social and economic outcomes across various the life-course?

4.    Theoretical: do Arab Gulf states represent a social welfare mode of their own? How do they compare with the rest of the MENA region and other high income countries around the world?

It is against this backdrop that the workshop draws together key international commentators in social policy to engage with and further develop theoretical, conceptual and substantive understandings of social policy in the Gulf region. This workshop will critically examine the current knowledge about the origins, development, functions, and challenges of social policy in the region. It will bring together leading scholars of social policy to reinvigorate theoretical, conceptual and substantive debates around welfare states in the region. In addition, the workshop will provide a critical analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing policy-makers in the region, and examine current strategies and reform processes already underway for addressing welfare needs in the region. Papers will analyze the various institutions, actors, instruments and mechanisms involved in the welfare arrangements and provides a study of the contexts, development and future trajectory of social policy in the Gulf region. The key workshop themes will be:  social protection and welfare; emerging issues including gender issues, civil society; youth, migration and future challenges, papers draw on original case-based research from diverse disciplines and perspectives, engage existing literature and further key debates. Important historical milestones and insights related to the expansion or reform of social welfare provision in the region will serve as a starting point for the discussions with the remaining chapters combining a review of the literature with original case studies. The workshop will solicit papers based on original research from leading specialists in the fields from political science, sociology, history, economics, and other disciplines and provides a fresh and updated perspective to the study of social policy in the region.

[1] Morel, N., & Palier, B. (Eds.). (2011). Towards a social investment welfare state?: ideas, policies and challenges. Policy Press.
[2] Doha Institute. (2018. Current Social Transformations in the Arab Gulf.

Original contributions will be encouraged from diverse disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology, economics, political science, education, public health) and methodologies. Theoretical and/or empirical contributions with a comparative and regional perspective are equally encouraged. The workshop welcomes research from across the humanities and social sciences—from the perspective of social and political theorists, philosophers, cultural theorists, as well as from researchers in social policy. Papers can focus on a single country case or propose cross-country analyses. We are seeking papers that deal, not exclusively, with the following areas and focus:

·      Political Economy of Welfare 

·      Social Protection

·      Welfare Regimes 

·      Economic & Environmental Sustainability and Social Policy

·      Demography

·      Family and gender

·      Health and Human Well-being

·      Education

·      Methodology 

·      Housing

·      Ageing and the Life Course

·      Disability

·      Labour Markets and migration

·      Sustainable development

The above are purely indicative areas: suggestions and original ideas are most welcome!

A look at the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) today reveals a number of striking features and developments. These include, inter alia, heightened regime insecurities, sectarianism, authoritarian resilience, altered dynamics of polarity, unprecedented socioeconomic, and demographic changes, and aggravation of social inequalities, considered as one of the main causes of popular mobilisations, which has become an unconventional way of doing politics (“street politics”). Many governments across the region have faced new pressure to improve the quality of public services. For example, the enduring effects of the youth bulge have distinctive implications for labor markets and the demand for housing, putting immense strains on already stressed social policy regimes in the region. Refugee flows place particularly enormous burdens on social sectors and on government capacities to respond to the demands of citizens and non-citizens alike in many countries. These changes have imposed fundamental questions for policy makers and academics who are under pressure to reconsider conventional approaches in social policy. Some reform efforts were under way and at least partly successful before the outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2010. Reform efforts have continued in some countries despite the many upheavals since then. This workshop will provide a space for dialogue and discussion on current knowledge about the origins, ongoing developments, functions, institutions, actors, instruments and mechanisms involved in the welfare systems of MENA countries, as well as challenges and opportunities facing policy-makers there. The proponents of this workshop conducted research on social policy trends and concerns of Gulf states such as:  social protection and social welfare; emerging issues including gender issues and civil society; youth, migration and future challenges. The workshop will invite papers that draw upon original case-based research from diverse disciplines and perspectives, engage existing literature and advance key debates.

Anis B. Brik is an Associate Professor of Social Policy at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University College of Public Policy. He served also as the Director of Family Policy Department at the Doha International Family Institute, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. Graduated from London School of Economics and Political Science. Dr. Ben Brik has served as advisor on social policy at the UAE government. He has served in a number of national and international committees, including chairing the Middle East United Nations NGO Major Group, member of the Social Protection Committee of the Qatar National Development Strategy; member of the national committee on youth, labor market, population of the UAE government. Dr. Ben Brik has served as Assistant Professor of Sociology at the UAE University. He has conducted research on youth, family relationships, child well-being, social protection, culture and sustainable development. Dr. Ben Brik is member of core group of the MENA social policy network www.menasp.com

Selected Readings

Williams, N. A., Ben Brik, A., Petkus, J. M., & Clark, H. (2019). Importance of play for young children facing illness and hospitalization: rationale, opportunities, and a case study illustration. Early Child Development and Care, 1-10.‏

‪Williams, N. A., Brik, A. B., Petkus, J. M., & Clark, H. (2019). Pediatric psychosocial care: Historical context and a theoretically informed practice model. Children and Youth Services Review, 104504.‏

Ben Brik, A. (2018). Child protection in Qatar. In J. Berrick, N. Gilbert, & M. Skivenes (Eds.), Child protection systems. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Ben Brik, A. (2018). Family changes in the Gulf countries. In N. Gilbert, E. Ochiai, B. Pfau-Effinger, & D. Besharov (Eds.), Family policy: A life-course perspective. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Ben Brik A., Lansford, J. E., & Al Fara, H. (2018). Policies and programs to promote child well-being in the Gulf countries. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Lansford, J. E., Ben Brik A., & Al Fara, H. (2018). A framework for child well-being in the Gulf countries. Manuscript submitted for publication.