Beschreibung
Theoretically, the study explicitly stated its aim as to try to find a theoretical explanation for state policies towards FDI and international labour migration by resorting to IR/IPE theory. The study explored two dominant theoretical perspectives from the field of IR/IPE. Beyond largely reflecting the gap identified in the literature review, the critical discussion of these theoretical perspectives also revealed some important ontological and epistemological shortcomings, which was taken as the reason to chart a different path by resorting to the Neo-Gramscian perspective as an alternative theoretical perspective. This perspective, it was argued, provides a more comprehensive framework by putting emphasis on different units and levels of analysis, and by adopting a method of inquiry highlighting the importance of an historical and dialectical approach. Additionally, it has been illustrated that, more recently, the Neo-Gramscian perspective has tried to establish a theoretical framework to approach the international mobility of capital and labour together. Yet it has also been discussed that the Neo-Gramscian perspective cannot be considered immune against critics regarding its overall theoretical framework, as well as regarding the critics of Eurocentrism and the problems this reveals, especially in the context of the Middle East, which in turn could be addressed more appropriately through an empirical analysis.
Empirically, the study proceeded in three steps. In a first step, the study situated the Gulf region within the global political economy by analysing the historical and contemporary importance of the region with a focus on commodity and money flows and, by doing so, highlighted the importance of the region for the global political economy. The following two steps constituted the more detailed analysis of state policies towards FDI and international labour migration. The chapter on state policies towards FDI put focus, first, on the increased move of Gulf States towards a market-oriented development and the increased FDI to the region, which took place in this context; and second, on the more specific state policies towards FDI, which revealed a contradictory process between progress and stalemate reflecting the importance of different social forces at the national and international stage. The chapter on state policies towards international labour migration, after highlighting the history and trends of international labour migration to the Gulf region, focused on the regulation of international labour migration, revealing a contradictory process characterised by oscillations between a framework allowing relatively free mobility of labour on the hand and the attempts to replace migrant labour through nationalisation policies on the other hand. Here too, it was illustrated that this contradicttory process reflects the importance of different social forces at the national and international stage.
