‘SAUDI VISION 2030’: A VIABLE RESPONSE TO YOUTH ASPIRATIONS AND CONCERNS?

Since Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud unveiled Saudi Vision 2030 (The National Transformation Programme, 25 April 2016) a great deal of analysis has focused on the potential impact of Vision 2030 at the national level. Significantly, Saudi Vision 2030, which promises a better future and better governance, is raising hopes and expectations amongst young well-educated Saudis. Nevertheless, how has Saudi Vision 2030 been interpreted by young educated male Saudis many of whom are struggling to enter the labour market at a time of austerity and economic uncertainty? This paper discusses young male perceptions of Saudi Vision 2030 including their expectations and hopes for the Vision. In fact, an understanding of how young Saudis perceive Vision 2030 is not only pertinent in the Saudi national context (or indeed multiple Saudi domestic contexts), but also has wider regional relevance considering oil-market developments and economic policy.     

THE END OF POLITICS BY THEYOUTH? HIGHER EDUCATION,YOUTH IDENTITY AND RECESSION OFPOLITICAL PARTICIPATION BY SOUTH AFRICA'S ‘BORN-FREES’:1 THE CASE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study is to examine the effects of political socialisation by the family and significant others on the political participation by South Africa's born-frees using a sample of undergraduate students at a public university in a metropolitan area. Overall, political participation is relatively low among the born-frees even though political awareness is very high. Political socialisation in the form of discussion of politics with parents, other relatives and peers is found to be an important predictor of youth participation in political activities. The youth of mothers with school leaving certificates or undergraduate education are more likely to be politically engaged compared to those of mothers with either no education or postgraduate education. Finally, older youth are more likely than younger ones to be politically engaged.     

REFORMS TO THE FEDERALLY ADMINISTERED AREA OF PAKISTAN (FATA) – AN UNRESOLVED PROBLEM

In March 2017, Pakistan formally took the decision to begin a process of incorporating the Federally Administered Tribal Territories into the framework of regular Pakistani law. This article offers an overview of the historical system of governance of the Tribal territories, along with a discussion of the development of the recent reforms and their prospects for success.     

WHERE DID BHUTAN'S GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS COME FROM? THE ORIGINS OF AN INVENTED TRADITION

The Kingdom of Bhutan has attracted international attention for adopting “Gross National Happiness” (GNH) as its national development policy. The central notion is that gross national happiness is more important than gross national product; the four pillars of GNH are sustainable economic development, good governance, preservation of the natural environment and preservation of the national culture. This paper traces the historical origins of the concept of Gross National Happiness and finds that GNH is newer than the literature and the propaganda usually suggest. Close study of GNH's origins and salience over several decades reveals evidence of the invention of a tradition, in Hobsbawm and Ranger's terms [Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger (Eds.), The Invention of Tradition. Cambridge: CUP, 1983]. The meteoric rise over the last 15 years of GNH as Bhutan's official ideology is a key part of the Bhutanese state's efforts at nation building in the context of rapid and disruptive social and economic change in a highly plural society.