Reports
Discussion Papers
No.514 Authoritarianism and Labor Market: Preference of Labor Policies in the Arab Gulf Countries
by Masaki MATSUO
March 2015
ABSTRACT
Migrant and labor issues are a primary concern in the Arab Gulf countries. With focus on the economic and political conditions that influence actors’ decisions when framing labor policies, this study analyzes how preferences of such policies are formed and explains why the governments of the Arab Gulf countries attempt to implement less economical policies. The findings suggest that governments avoid concessions for enterprises required to implement more economical policies and chose uneconomical ones to maintain authoritarian regimes.
Keywords: labor market, migration, authoritarianism, Arab Gulf countries
JEL classification: F22, F66, J31, J61, N35.
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