Hydrocarbon Citizens

Book excerpt: "Hydrocarbon Citizens tells the story of how the discovery of oil has transformed politics and societies in the Middle East. It argues that the creation of oil-dependent economies gave birth to a new type of citizen in the region: the "hydrocarbon citizen." These citizens hold attitudes, values, and beliefs about their governments and national politics that are very different from what is observed among citizens in the countries that do not produce oil. Hydrocarbon citizens are more likely to view their governments as highly effective, generous, helpful, and responsive to the needs of society. They also tend to be more sceptical about the merits of democracy and more likely to believe that democratic governments are ineffective, unstable, and full of problems. These arguments and findings are explored through rich histories of Middle Eastern countries, in-depth analysis of public opinion data, and original surveys from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Hydrocarbon Citizens challenges our understanding of the puzzling "resource curse" observation that paradoxically links oil wealth to negative outcomes for nations. It provides a new way of thinking about contemporary politics and society in the Middle East, a region currently defined by upheaval and reinvigorated authoritarianism"--