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Citizenship in the Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf in light of the rentier state theory

Adrianov A.K.,

MGIMO University, Moscow, Russia, artemadrianov1@gmail.com

elibrary_id: 1190016 | ORCID: 0000-0001-5135-8369 | RESEARCHER_ID: ITU-4434-2023

Isain P.N.,

MGIMO University, Moscow, Russia, isainpn@gmail.com

Article received: 2025.03.18 13:22. Accepted: 2025.08.06 13:22


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2026.01.04
EDN: SISYWI

Rubric: Theme of the issue: The Global South as a subject of political research

For citation:

Adrianov A.K., Isain P.N. Citizenship in the Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf in light of the rentier state theory. – Polis. Political Studies. 2026. No. 1. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2026.01.04. EDN: SISYWI (In Russ.)

Abstract

The Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf have a unique citizenship system characterized by several levels of citizens. In this article, the authors examine how the presence of different categories of citizenship correlates with the rent model of the economy of countries of the region. From the point of view of the rentier state theory, control over citizenship is a key mechanism for ensuring the well-being of the population and maintaining its political loyalty. As a result, access to citizenship is artificially limited. This hypothesis is also confirmed by the analysis of the opposite case: when oil rent is not the main source of state income, citizenship policy can be more liberal. On the other hand, some features of the legislation in the sphere of citizenship and the conditions for its provision can also be explained by national security concerns, domestic policy priorities and the specificities of the local culture. In recent years, as it has become a priority to diversify the economy and attract qualified personnel, the region has implemented a gradual liberalization of its legislation in the areas of citizenship and migration, which can be partially explained within the framework of the rentier state theory.

Keywords

rentier state, Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman.

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