Social Safety Nets in the Arabian Gulf Region: Models and Stakes

Throughout the stages of development of the modern state in the Arabian Gulf, social welfare has received sustained attention.Critical circumstances at the time compelled emerging states to modernise their social role without undermining the social foundations of their political systems.This study explores Gulf states' attempts to design social safety nets by addressing the following central question: What are the stakes underlying the design and development of social safety nets in the region, in light of local and international transformations?After presenting its theoretical and conceptual framework, the study is organised around four main themes: tracing the contexts that shaped the emergence and development of social safety nets in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain; identifying similarities and differences between the three contexts; assessing current financing and implementation of social assistance and protection programmes; and considering the potential for advancing safety nets based on these models.The paper concludes that the three countries possess the largest safety nets in terms of social spending compared to other Arab states.Yet the scale of this 'generous' funding has not translated into the desired outcomes, as inequality and lack of protection continue to worsen among some vulnerable groups.Persistent obstacles still hinder a systematic transformation in the state's social role, one that would move beyond the 'pastoral' logic towards the commitments of a social contract state.