The LSE Kuwait Programme has achieved tremendous cultural success, highlighting the excellent relations between the United Kingdom and Kuwait. We vow to continue our cooperation with this distinguished programme in order to lead it to further success.
HE Khaled Abdulaziz Al-Duwaisan GCVO, Former Ambassador of Kuwait to the UK
The Kuwait Programme is a world-leading hub for research and expertise on Kuwait. The Programme is the main conduit through which research on Kuwait at the School is facilitated, expanded and promoted.
The Programme is funded by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences and directed by Professor Toby Dodge, who is also the Kuwait Chair.
Aims of the Programme
- To establish collaborative research partnerships between LSE and Kuwaiti universities that will deliver high quality research on the challenges facing the country, expand Kuwaiti expertise on these challenges, and produce long-term relationships of value;
- To conduct time-sensitive, policy-relevant research which will inform evidence-based policymaking in Kuwait and the wider GCC;
- To produce and publish high quality original academic research on contemporary Kuwait;
- To organise exchanges between LSE faculty and Kuwaiti academics and policy practitioners to facilitate knowledge exchange, intellectual capacity and career development;
- To provide for the development of leaders and academics in Kuwaiti research and higher education institutions through the production, management and dissemination of research as well as through longer-term research collaboration activities.
Research Themes
- Improving the delivery of healthcare in Kuwait.
- Enhancing Kuwait's water and food security;
- Diversifying energy sources in an oil-rich economy;
- Driving forward Kuwait's digital transformation;
- Developing public policy to reform the public sector and improve public service delivery in Kuwait;
- Developing economic and legal perspectives on diversifying the oil-dependent economy of Kuwait;
- Informing and improving environmental policy in Kuwait;
- Improving the role of the sovereign wealth fund in driving forward Kuwaiti development;
- Setting economic vision(s) to diversify the economy;
- Improving and developing education policies in Kuwait.
Kuwait Programme Activities
Through the Kuwait Academic Collaborations, the Centre runs an open competition for Kuwait-based and LSE academics to form joint research teams for long-term collaborative research and capacity building on policy relevant challenges facing Kuwait today.
View past projects.
Based in the London School of Economics’ Middle East Centre, or in one of LSE’s research centres or academic departments, the LSE-Kuwait Fellowships allow researchers based at academic or research institutions in Kuwait to visit LSE for three months in order to conduct research related to the Programme's thematic research interests and develop their research capacity and output.
Learn more.
Kuwait Programme Paper Series
The Programme publishes peer-reviewed research papers and policy briefs on Kuwait and the wider Gulf. These papers are authored by LSE academics and researchers, as well as external experts on the region.
Kuwait Programme Alumni Network
The Kuwait Programme manages an alumni network of researchers from Kuwait who have worked with the programme since 2017.