Human Capital and the Future of the Gulf a Report of the CSIS Middle East Program
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November 2015 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW Washington, DC 20036 202-887-0200 | www.csis.org Lanham • Boulder • New York • London 4501 Forbes Boulevard Lanham, MD 20706 301- 459- 3366 | www.rowman.com Cover photo: Shutterstock.com Human Capital and the Future of the Gulf A Report of the CSIS Middle East Program AUTHOR Carolyn Barnett ISBN 978-1-4422-5904-1 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW Washington,Ë|xHSLEOCy259041zz DC 20036v*:+:!:+:! 202-887-0200 | www.csis.org Blank Human Capital and the Future of the Gulf AUTHOR Carolyn Barnett November 2015 A Report of the CSIS Middle East Program Lanham • Boulder • New York • London About CSIS For over 50 years, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has worked to develop solutions to the world’s greatest policy challenges. Today, CSIS scholars are providing strategic in- sights and bipartisan policy solutions to help decisionmakers chart a course toward a better world. CSIS is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center’s 220 full-time staff and large network of affiliated scholars conduct research and analysis and develop policy initiatives that look into the future and anticipate change. Founded at the height of the Cold War by David M. Abshire and Admiral Arleigh Burke, CSIS was dedicated to finding ways to sustain American prominence and prosperity as a force for good in the world. Since 1962, CSIS has become one of the world’s preeminent international institutions focused on defense and security; regional stability; and transnational challenges ranging from energy and climate to global health and economic integration. Former U.S. senator Sam Nunn has chaired the CSIS Board of Trustees since 1999. Former deputy secretary of defense John J. Hamre became the Center’s president and chief executive officer in 2000. CSIS does not take specific policy positions; accordingly, all views expressed herein should be understood to be solely those of the author(s). © 2015 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4422-5904-1 (pb); 978-1-4422-5905-8 (eBook) Center for Strategic & International Studies Rowman & Littlefield 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW 4501 Forbes Boulevard Washington, DC 20036 Lanham, MD 207066 202-887-0200 | www.csis.org 301-459-3366 | www.rowman.com Contents Executive Summary 1 Introduction 3 Building Human Capital in the Gulf 7 Challenging Cultures 16 Change Under Way 26 Looking Ahead 31 Conclusion 36 About the Author 37 Human Capital and the Future of the Gulf Carolyn Barnett Executive Summary Extensive efforts to develop human erence to and reverence for authority capital are under way in the United Arab remain the expectation, and in which Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere in challenging social norms can be diffi- the Gulf, and they are increasingly set- cult. There is a clear tension between ting expectations for how people ought countries’ wish to encourage econom- to behave socially and economically ic creativity and risk taking on the one that are in tension with how they are ex- hand, and their desire to maintain rela- pected to behave politically. tive social and political quiescence on the other. Navigating this tension—or In their efforts to build “knowledge finding ways to create space for gen- economies,” Gulf governments have in- uine innovation and risk taking within vested heavily in education. They have that constrained political context—will recently begun to place greater empha- be among the most important strategic sis on career guidance, technical and challenges for the region’s leaders and vocational education, and entrepre- people in the next 10 years. neurship. These efforts are as much an attempt to change attitudes and expec- The tensions created by governments’ tations around work and productivity as conflicting aims can produce frustration, an attempt to build skills or change in- a sense of entitlement, or apathy among centives. Yet in order for states to make young people entering the labor force, full use of the human capital in which each of which poses different poten- they are investing, they want citizens to tial political challenges for governments, embrace proactive attitudes and be ec- although most Gulf states do not face onomically and socially innovative. This threats to their basic stability. Some young drive for innovation occurs in a con- people whose ambitions are being con- strained political context in which def- strained have grown frustrated, and they HUMAN CAPITAL AND THE FUTURE OF THE GULF | 1 There is a clear tension between countries’ wish to encourage economic creativity and risk taking on the one hand, and their desire to maintain relative social and political quiescence on the other. are using their new skills and tools to push These trends may simultaneously rein- where they can for social change or differ- force acceptance of the basic political ent policies. In others, a sense of entitle- status quo and give people new tools ment is reinforced, and this will increase and incentives to seek greater econom- the difficulty of shifting expectations ic and social change within it. Change about the respective roles of the state and may also alienate important beneficia- citizens in the future. Meanwhile, govern- ries of present systems, who have eco- ments continue to search for good strate- nomic and political stakes in maintain- gies to change the behavior of the disen- ing the status quo. gaged and underachieving. Alienation and apathy among potentially productive citi- Governments are confronting the zens undermine governments’ goals for fundamental question of whether it is economic growth and contribute to other possible for them to shift the expec- social ills, including poor health, crime, tations and obligations underpinning and possible susceptibility to recruitment their political systems without break- by radical groups. ing those systems. Some people ex- pect to see a “Big Bang” in the region— Changes are happening in the Gulf. but a slow evolution is more likely. Both government efforts and grassroots Yet even incremental changes have mobilization are starting to promote consequences. How tensions and ex- the idea that governments and citizens pectations around work and employ- should celebrate risk, encourage public ment evolve, and how governments service, and push for more local creation respond to these shifts, will be a major of knowledge for future policymaking. variable in the region’s politics. 2 | CAROLYN BARNETT Introduction One winter afternoon in Dubai, 16 ther the Prophet Muhammad or one of young Emirati men attended a work- the current ruling figures of the United shop on leadership, teamwork, and em- Arab Emirates (UAE).1 These men, they powerment in a hotel conference room. noted, demonstrated the qualities they Dressed alternatively in traditional Emi- identified with true leadership. rati robes or in jeans and t-shirts, some slumped low in their seats, while oth- The participants had voluntarily joined ers sat alert. At the front of the room, a day-long workshop (offered by a another young Emirati energetically semigovernmental institution) geared scribbled on an easel as the participants toward helping Emirati youth develop shared words that they associated with their leadership skills, mentorship skills, qualities of leadership: Strength. Vision. and employability.2 Pushing themselves Confidence. Wisdom. to think unconventionally was ostensi- bly why the participants were there in “Who embodies these qualities? Who do the first place, but no one felt empow- you look up to as a model for leader- ered to buck the consensus by citing a ship?” the moderator asked. pioneering businessman or even a per- sonal relative. To depart from the con- One by one, the young men soberly vol- sensus seemed to represent disloyalty unteered their responses. The range was at best. limited. Every single participant cited ei- 1 These included Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (current ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE), Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (crown prince of Abu Dhabi), and Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashed Al-Maktoum (ruler of Dubai). 2 Across the hall, around two dozen young women were going through the same set of leadership and team-building exercises. HUMAN CAPITAL AND THE FUTURE OF THE GULF | 3 In their enthusiasm for learning new skills, this group of young people repre- sented the success of efforts to promote human capital development in the UAE.3 Similar efforts have been ongoing in other countries of the Gulf Coop- eration Council (GCC). Educating young people to be active participants in their society reflects broader strategic goals that governments in the region have set for themselves. Government strategy documents across the region have for years emphasized the need not only to diversify economies and boost private sector employment, but also to promote the development of citizens able to build and advance “knowledge economies” for the twenty-first cen- tury.4 The concept of a “knowledge economy” is often left vaguely defined or even undefined in policy discussions—possibly because few have a clear idea of what it will look like in the Gulf context. Broadly, what most people mean is that the nation’s wealth and productivity will come from sectors that require innovation, creativity, and the input of well-educated and well-trained indi- viduals, rather than from hydrocarbon wealth. For a long time, employment has been a key mechanism for distributing that wealth. States sell hydrocarbons, collect the money, and employ their citizens in disproportionate numbers. Although governments have tinkered with and half-heartedly tried to reform this setup over the past few decades, little has changed.5 The lackluster outcomes of past reform efforts lead some observers to argue that there will be little change in Gulf economies without a fundamen- tal overhaul of the “social contract” in the Gulf.