Thursday, July 5, 2018

Saudia Arabia's investment in education and research

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) has been very visible lately, touring the U.S.A. to promote his commitment to progressive change. He befriended Donald Trump early in his presidency and managed to con Jared Kushner and Trump into seeing Qatar as a terrorist state. Fortunate for all, that didn't work.

Saudia Arabia has been investing in education for some time and, in fact, has scaled back its support for Saudi students to study abroad. However, part of the 2030 vision advocated by MbS includes enhancing education and research. It remains to be seen if the investment will pay off. Saudi's rentier economy has created a dependence that will be difficulty to shake. There are many young Saudis who expect the government to take care of them and this is likely to be a formidable obstacle to empowerment through education.

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