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The illiberal model of regulating illegal labor immigration in the Persian Gulf states
- Authors: Zherlitsina N.A.1
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Affiliations:
- Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
- Issue: No 6 (2024)
- Pages: 57-67
- Section: Migration problems
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/0869-0499/article/view/281359
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.31857/S0869049924060041
- EDN: https://elibrary.ru/JBYTAT
- ID: 281359
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Abstract
Based on migration statistics and documents from the Gulf Research Center, the World Bank, the UN, and the World Labor Organization, the approach to regulating illegal labor migration in the Gulf countries is studied. Systemic, institutional, and comparative methods, as well as political science analysis, are used. It is shown that the Persian Gulf region is the largest migrant labor market in history and the epicenter of South–South migration. All six rich oil states of the Persian Gulf have common features as migration rentiers, which create a special – illiberal – model of regulating illegal immigration. It is distinguished by a comprehensive segmented alienation of migrants. States maintain a regime of exclusive citizenship, practically not providing migrants with the opportunity to naturalize. It is concluded that the governments of the Persian Gulf countries have abandoned the classical integration strategy in relation to migrants. Modern realities convince of the relevance of the illiberal approach to migration management in other regions of the world.
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About the authors
Natalia A. Zherlitsina
Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
Author for correspondence.
Email: ns_inafr@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8647-9419
Doctor of Sciences (History), Leading Research Fellow
Russian Federation, MoscowReferences
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