understanding economic and civic culture in the uae
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Understanding Economic and Civic Culture in the UAE. Calvert W. Jones Ph.D. Candidate, Yale University Visiting Scholar, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research. Background: Dissertation Research. How are Gulf state leaders seeking to adapt traditional social contracts? - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Understanding Economic and Civic Culture in the UAE
Calvert W. Jones
Ph.D. Candidate, Yale University
Visiting Scholar, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research
Background: Dissertation Research
How are Gulf state leaders seeking to adapt traditional social contracts?
How are young people’s beliefs and attitudes evolving as a result?
Current focus on UAE and education reform
Why are attitudes important?
Young people’s beliefs and attitudes affect whether and how much they will contribute to the development of their country
Development as “self-discovery” (Hausmann & Rodrik, 2003)
Adapting the Social Contract
The View from the Top:The Desired Citizen
“We want Emiratis to take charge of their path through life with the confidence to map out a productive and fulfilling future for themselves and their nation.
In their professional lives they will prove that the route to success lies through personal commitment, dedication and a strong work ethic. Satisfaction and motivation will reward their self-reliance and initiative; their appetite for risk-taking will be fuelled by a vigorous entrepreneurial spirit” (Vision 2021, p. 4)
Pilot Study: Ras al Khaimah
Purpose Assess validity of survey instruments Explore differences between Emiratis and non-
Emiratis 5 secondary schools, 62 students Surveyed about economic, social, and
political attitudes
The belief that there are returns to work (p=.04)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
In the long run, hard work usually brings success
Hard work doesn’t generally bring success—it’s more a matter of luck and connections
Emirati average (3.09)
Non-Emirati average (2.15)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
I’m willing to take risks.
I’m not willing to take risks.
Emirati average (3.06)
Non-Emirati average (1.96)
In general, are you willing or unwilling to take risks if there is a good chance of
reward? (p=.002)
How much, out of 100,000 AED, would you be willing to invest in a friend’s new
company? (p=.03) All of it 95,000 90,000 85,000 80,000 75,000 70,000 65,000 60,000 55,000 50,000 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 None of it
Emirati average: 33,000 AED
Non-Emirati average: 45,000 AED
Attitudes toward entrepreneurs (p=.000)
13
16
4
0 0
2
10
8
5
00
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Stronglydisagree
Entrepreneurs ought to be admired by other people
Fre
qu
ency Emirati
Non-Emirati
20
10
3
10
8
13
5
2
00
5
10
15
20
25
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Stronglydisagree
Science and technology are making our lives healthier.
Fre
qu
ency Emirati
Non-Emirati
Attitudes toward science and technology: Item 1 (p=.03)
2
45
6
17
7 78
3 3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Stronglydisagree
We depend too much on science and not enough on religious faith.
Freq
uenc
y Emirati
Non-Emirati
Attitudes toward science and technology: Item 2 (p=.000)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Money
My parents' expectations
Prestige
Rewards for creativity & initiative
Living near extended family
Contributing to UAE society
Job security
Same-gender work environment
Opportunities to solve problems
Respect from friends
Personal interests/a job I like
Jo
b P
rio
riti
es
Importance
Non-Emiratis
Emiratis
Job Priorities
1
2
31
2
3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Obedience
Love of country
Determination, perseverance
Religious faith
Hard work
Thrift, saving money
Independence
Feeling of responsibility
Tolerance
Academic achievement
Val
ues
Importance
Non-Emirati
Emirati
Values that ought to be encouraged in children
1
2
3
1
2
3
3
In Sum Emirati respondents were less certain that
there are returns to work, and less inclined to take risks.
But they were more positive toward the role played by science and technology in society.
And they believed more strongly that entrepreneurs ought to be admired by others.
Job priorities and values are very different.
Conclusions and Implications
Findings are preliminary Further research is needed on reasons for
differences And on how different educational initiatives
affect attitudes (causally) in these areas Findings should help design more targeted
policy responses, tailored to the needs of different populations of young people