CITIZEN-STATE RELATIONS IN QATAR IN THE AGE OF AUSTERITY

Abstract

With the uncertainty of oil prices since 2014, the Gulf States found themselves in a daunting position. Imposing taxation and subsidies reforms would be one possible way of achieving the objective of economic stability. The rentier situation that had governed the realities of the Gulf region since the formation of the states would certainly be disrupted by the introduction of these retrenchment measures. The state will no longer be the provider, but the society will also share the economic burden. The main aim of the study is to inspect state-society relations in light of these economic changes. The study investigates how the introduction of any austerity policies would affect the state-society relations in Qatar. The study examines citizens' political attitudes, and economic concerns through quantitative data. This inspection gave a rich information of Qatari's opinions of the political and economic setting of their country. The qualitative data confirmed and explained some of these results, where Qataris appeared to have strong opinions against any retrenchment measures. It also showed that they are inexperienced with democracy, lack awareness about austerity measures, but still show complete support and loyalty to their government. It is a difficult situation for both sides, but together, they will survive. This study provides a first impression of how the public may react to austerity measures. The study reveals that the public demands transparency and accountability and the assurance of their economic wellbeing. For now, this is their expectation of what democracy and representation means. This certainly has its implications on the state-society relations as well as on the reinter state theory, as the government has to be responsive to maintain this relationship, by prioritizing the public's needs.