Social Change in the Middle East
Social Change in the Middle East
Name
Institution
Social Change in the Middle East
The Middle East experienced substantial change socially from the middle of the twentieth century. The changes related to state formation, urbanization, an increase in international ties and state formation. Modernization was an umbrella notion that included all the changes mentioned. That aside, dwindling population rates, the change in function of the family and children and the impact of education on fertility rates also affected social change.
The most remarkable aspect related to contributions by the article was urbanization, which was a core aspect of both social change and economic development. The roles played by cities in the entire globalization phenomenon had historical impact as people migrated from the rural areas to urban centres, asserting pressure on natural resources. The allure of better lifestyles in cities coupled with few economic opportunities in the rural areas catalysed rural to urban migration. The contributors of urbanization were not immediately aware of the consequences of their actions (Moghadam & Decker, 2010).
The article introduced new aspects of urbanization. Rapid population growth in urban centres changed the size and organization of the labour force because of the sudden shift from agrarian production in rural areas to economic, industrial and service activities. The inability of the labour markets located in urban centres to absorb the increased labour force directly resulted in growth of informal sectors, inequalities and skyrocketing unemployment rates.
In conclusion, the article had detailed, practical and relevant examples such as tables providing further information and comparisons among countries in the Middle East. It also expressly indicated instances where statistics in some areas would not be reliable, even as it relied on international organizations such as data from International Labour organizations. The article was therefore highly recommended.
Social Stratification in the Gulf Cooperation Council States
The Program by Kuwait on Development, Governance and Globalisation in the Gulf States was international, spread over a period of one decade and covered multiple disciplines. The programme primarily focussed on globalization, problems encountered by economies with rich resources security and trade relations. It looked into six states that made up the Gulf Cooperation Council, namely, the Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman. The program considered interconnections with other global players in the relevant fields (Colton and Colton, 2011).
The aspect considered as most remarkable was the actual diversity of historical overviews of the states considered. The program looked at a historical overview of individual states in a bid to demonstrate intricacy of regional workings and it brought out the historical bases of states, as they existed on the present day. The analysis followed an in depth principle agent approach in each state.
The article explained the origins of social stratification, an aspect that was previously unknown. The principal agent theory stated the complexities associated with attempted alienation of interests of groups of individual devoid of common goals and aspirations. The scarcity of qualified personnel, a differentiated reward system with unequal incentive distribution was a functional importance of the theory.
To conclude, the article was highly recommended because it brought out a chronology of events from different states, from their history and individual unification with the principal-agent theory. The system of entitlement and social stratification was a chief component of the program because each state had different approaches towards societal public integration, immigrant labour on economic development, political systems and openings of finances of each state.
References
Colton, N. A., & Colton, Nora Ann. (2011). Social stratification in the Gulf Cooperation Council States. London School of Economics and Political Science
Moghadam, V.M & Decker, T (2010). Social Change in the Middle East
