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Professor Kato’s Seminar  加藤ゼミ

 

Nadeya Sayed Ali Mohammed’s Population and Development of the Arab  Gulf States: The Case of Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait, Ashgate Publishing Limited (2003), ISBN 0-7546-3220-2.

 

               

   This is a textbook we have been studying in the seminar this semester. I find it very interesting for a number of reasons. The author is a Bahraini woman, and she obviously put in a lot of effort in producing this book and completing the research. Also, since this book’s theme may intersect with my academic interests, I know that I have a lot to learn from it. An interesting (and probably very accurate) argument in this book is that due to the lack of policy set by the governments in the Gulf, the structure of its population is shifting very quickly. A few potential problems are (a) overpopulation (b) foreign labor flooding the workforce (particularly unskilled labor, that accepts lower wages and works longer hours) (c) exploitation of foreign labor (d) rise in local unemployment, particularly among Gulf citizens.  One of the most interesting points mentioned, that I was not aware of , is the issue of the lack of population census compilations in the Gulf (regardless of the reasons behind this). Population details are a very important indicator in studying society and creating methods and solutions to problems in such a society, and possibly even solve economic problems and encourage development.