Abstract
The 2014–2016 oil price collapse necessitated changes in Saudi government policy. As this chapter notes, despite the limitations placed on technocrats by the existing political system, their elevation to major decision-making positions, also in the energy sector, appears to signify an attempt at greater inclusiveness in policymaking. The McKinsey consultancy, which advises the Saudi government, has argued that all stakeholders—including the private sector, foreign investors and private households—will need to be involved in national development. The key issue here is whether the government is willing to open its decision-making processes further, also within the energy sector, to stakeholders who are qualified and prepared to contribute to the overall national development of the Kingdom. The question is how far this process will proceed. As the impact of the low oil price has started to hurt the individual Saudi’s pocket, the issue of who makes the major decisions, especially as regards resource governance and the Kingdom’s distributive system, is increasingly discussed widely in Saudi society.
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Notes
- 1.
‘Apparently Prince Mohammad bin Salman frequently cites Dubai as an economic and administrative model for Saudi Arabia. However, in my opinion this does not work due to the huge differences between a small city-state and a large, diverse Kingdom’, interview with Saudi political journalist, Riyadh, 2015.
- 2.
Surveys are conducted in both Arabic and English and distributed through social media applications such as WhatsApp and Twitter.
- 3.
KFUPM is situated in Dhahran in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia adjacent to the main Saudi Arabian Oil Company (ARAMCO) compound. KFUPM is the highest ranked university in the Arab World with an enrolment of approximately 10,000 (Top Universities 2016).
- 4.
These surveys include perceptions of societal transformation, levels of individual political awareness, career aspirations and work motivation and social media and its effect on Saudi society.
- 5.
Although Amin H. Nasser is President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, Khalid Al-Falih as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aramco was still very much in charge.
- 6.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is King’s Salman’s favourite son. Following his accession to the throne in January 2015, the monarch made his son Deputy Crown Prince, Minister of Defence and head of the newly formed Economic Council. Prince Mohammed became Crown Prince in June 2017 replacing his cousin former Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. Dubbed ‘Young prince in a hurry’ by The Economist, the prince promotes policies that are ambitious but controversial (The Economist 2016).
- 7.
Interview with Ibrahim Al Belaihi, Riyadh, 2010.
- 8.
As Montagu (2015, 24) explains ‘The majlis, or meeting, is the traditional regular open house held by senior members of the community, princes, businessmen, tribal and religious leaders and some professionals. Within Saudi Arabia, these majalis are essential loci for discussion, rumour, chat and gossip and also for the informal presentation of petitions’.
- 9.
Plural version of majlis.
- 10.
Interview with Ibrahim Al Belaihi, Riyadh, 2010.
- 11.
Interview with Aramco executive, Dhahran, 2016.
- 12.
The Najdi are persons from Najd in central Saudi Arabia, the heartland of the Al Saud and its tribal allies.
- 13.
Interview with Saudi political journalist, Al Khobar, 2016.
- 14.
However, to date, security, foreign policy, financial and resource management policies have remained excluded from this dynamic, as noted by a Saudi female academic, Gulf Research Meeting, University of Cambridge, August 2015.
- 15.
Interview with Saudi academic, Riyadh, 2016.
- 16.
Professor of Economics at King Abdulaziz University, Member of the Supreme Economic Council.
- 17.
- 18.
Interview with Saudi computer engineer, Al Khobar, 2015.
- 19.
Ibid.
- 20.
Interview with Saudi politico-economic consultant computer engineer, Riyadh, 2016.
- 21.
See: Twitter@KingSalmanEN.
- 22.
Source: Author’s Online survey “تأثير الشبكات الإجتماعية على خصوصية المجتمع السعودي” (Privacy and Social Media Usage in Saudi Arabia) with 3630 respondents.
- 23.
Interview with Saudi engineer, Dhahran, 2015.
- 24.
Author’s online survey: Anonymous online respondent, 2015.
- 25.
Source: Author’s online survey “التحول الإجتماعي و الرأي العام” (Societal Transformation and Public Opinion) with 552 respondents.
- 26.
Wastah = having influence through connections.
- 27.
The 0–14 age group comprises 32.4% of the total population, the median share. The middle age group of 15–64 makes up the greatest share of the total population, about 64.8%, and the 65+ age group comprises 2.8% of the total population (World Population 2017).
- 28.
The scholarship programme was established by King Abdullah, but in 2015, due partly to financial constraints, the Saudi government scaled back the programme significantly by reducing the fields of study to receive funding. http://he.moe.gov.sa/en/studyaboard/King-Abdulla-hstages/Pages/introduction-a.aspx
- 29.
Interview with Saudi political consultant in Riyadh, 2015.
- 30.
Interview with Saudi political consultant in Riyadh, 2015.
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Thompson, M.C. (2018). Saudi Arabia: Civil Society and Natural Resource Management. In: Overland, I. (eds) Public Brainpower. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60627-9_16
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