The merchant elite and parliamentary politics in Kuwait: the dynamics of business political participation in a rentier state

When applied to the Gulf region in general and Kuwait more specifically, the rentier state theory stipulates that the political relations between state and business are determined by the rent. Thus, business ceases to represent a strong political force and withdraws from the formal political field in exchange for wealth provided by the state. However, the evidence from Kuwait’s recent history suggests that there is great variation between the patterns of political engagement in Kuwait’s merchant families. Through the analysis of Kuwait’s business politics it will be defined which factors explain why some merchant families engage in parliamentary politics, while others do not, and why at times the merchant community allies with the opposition, and at others with the government. The research further examines what impact this political engagement by business has on the country’s economic reform policies.

 

Event details  

Speaker: Anastasia Nosova, LSE
Chair: Dr Courtney Freer, LSE Kuwait Programme          
Date: Tuesday 17 Januaru 2017                 
Time: 16.30-18:00                   
Location: Room 9.04, 9th floor, Tower 2, Clement's Inn, LSE                   
Event Hashtag: #LSEKuwait                  
Attendance: This event is free and open to all, however registration is necessary. Registration will open a few weeks before the event.

Admission is on a first-come-first-served basis even after registration. Not everyone who registers attends our events, so to ensure a full house, we allow more registrations than there are places. Our events are very well attended, so please make sure you arrive early. We cannot guarantee entry.

Speaker