Kuwait is a small, developing oil-producing country with a total population of approximately 2.6 million. Kuwaiti citizens represent approximately 40% of the total population. Less than 20% of the total labour force are Kuwaiti citizens. The government sector acts as the main provider of jobs for Kuwaiti citizens. Approximately three-quarters of Kuwaiti citizens are employed in the public sector, whereas non-Kuwaitis represent over 90% of the private sector labour force. The aim of this thesis is to assess the factors determining demand for and supply of national labour in the State of Kuwait. A number of surveys are conducted to collect information on issues relating to the views of employers and employees regarding various aspects of the labour market. The results of the surveys are analysed using multivariate statistical techniques. The sample results of this thesis suggest that approximately 80 percent of Kuwaiti male workers and 96 percent of Kuwaiti female workers are employed in the Government sector, while approximately 11 percent of Kuwaiti males and less than three percent of Kuwaiti females are employed in the private sector. Approximately nine percent of Kuwaiti males and two percent of Kuwaiti females work in the mixed government-private sector. The majority of Kuwaiti citizens seem to be employed as professionals, clerks and services. Twenty percent of Kuwaiti males and 49 percent of Kuwaiti females are professionals, while 51 percent of both Kuwaiti males and Kuwaiti females work as clerks. Many researchers have devoted their time and skill to analysing factors affecting the demand for supply of labour, the impact of wage differentials on employment, the role of government in offering employment and how to minimize the percentage of unemployment. Only a few researchers have given their attention to labour force issues in Middle Eastern countries. This thesis attempts to close some of the existing gaps in the literature on the Kuwaiti economy. In particular, it examines the distribution of manpower in the state of Kuwait; analyses the structure of employment of Kuwaiti citizens; evaluates the main motives of Kuwaiti citizens in searching for jobs in the public sector; and examines the reasons why firms operating in the private sector prefer to employ expatriates rather than Kuwaiti citizens. It also models decisions by Kuwaiti female citizens to participate in the labour force and decision as to whether an unemployed Kuwaiti will join the market conditions for Kuwaiti citizens over the next five years. In order to achieve these objectives, this thesis conducted surveys based on random samples, related to Kuwaiti labour force, Kuwaiti females and private companies. Multivariate statistical techniques such as discriminant analysis, factor analysis, probit-logit regression analysis and multiple regression analysis are applied to collected data. The results of factor analysis, using the principal component method and varimax rotation, reduce the large number of variables that motivate Kuwaiti citizens to prefer employment in the Government Sector to four factors: job suitability, job prospects and convenience, job security and, most importantly, the level of wages offered by the Government compared to that offered by the private sector. The canonical discriminant functions evaluated at group means (group centroid) suggest that small firms who do not employ nationals are concerned mainly about the wage levels these employees wish to receive. These firms believe that nationals ask for much higher wages than expatriates. Medium-sized employers are not eager to employ nationals for fear that they will not be satisfied with the offered positions and may not stay in employment for long periods. Large employers who elect to employ expatriates rather than nationals do so because they believe that nationals do not possess the necessary qualifications and experience for the positions they wish to occupy. Discriminant analysis of survey results suggest that the probability that a Kuwaiti woman will join the labour force grows the higher the wage rate, the more educated the woman, the more suitable jobs are available and the easier it is to get domestic help. Participation of Kuwaiti women in the labour force is negatively related to marital status, family income and number of children under the age of six. The prevailing wage rate is the most influential factor affecting Kuwaiti women participation in the labour force, whether they are married or unmarried. The second most important factor influencing Kuwaiti women’s decision to participate in the labour force is education. While age seems to be the third most important factor that positively influences Kuwaiti unmarried women’s decision to participate in the labour force, the age factor does not seem to be as significant for married women. Availability of suitable jobs is the third most significant factor in positively influencing Kuwaiti married women to participate in the labour force. This factor does not seem to exert such a great influence on unmarried women. Many Kuwaiti women, particularly if married, indicate that they would prefer to work part-time (i.e. for some part of the day or for only a few days a week) or engage in home-based employment (e.g. caring for others’ young children, tailoring, manufacturing simple products, selling over the phone or internet). The family income has a much higher (negative) effect on the participation rate for married than unmarried Kuwaiti women. Married women are less likely to participate in the labour force if they have children of preschool age. Both the logit and probit regression models gave a good fit. The econometric results suggest that the longer the Kuwaiti citizen is unemployed, the higher the probability that he or she will accept employment in the private sector. On the other hand, the higher the level of education or the average family income, the lower the probability that a person will look for jobs in the private sector. Age does not seem to have any significant impact on the decision to accept employment in the private sector. There is no clear distinction in the attitudes of unemployed Kuwaiti citizens of different ages towards accepting jobs in the Government or the private sector. Sex is a significant factor, however: Kuwaiti females are reluctant to work in the private sector, and the probability that unemployed female Kuwaiti citizens will join the private sector is lower than the probability that a male Kuwaiti unemployed citizen will do so. Unemployed Kuwaiti citizens who enjoy a relatively high family income are more likely to search for jobs in the Government sector where current terms and conditions of employment are much more lucrative, and are prepared to wait for lengthy periods until offered employment in the Government sector. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Lehigh University, 2005. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-178).

This research focuses on the influence of institutions on entrepreneurship among Kuwaiti youth. It aims to capture the role played by institutions on youth entrepreneurship at the backdrop of a dampening ‘spirit’ for it. This research is currently very important due to various economic and geo-political factors leading to an economic downturn, which has led to the need for entrepreneurial ventures. It reviews and consolidates concepts and factors purported to facilitate and increase entrepreneurship for the benefit of the society and economy of Kuwait. This research uses a social constructionist approach to make sense of how institutions influence Kuwaiti youth in their quest to become entrepreneurs. It exposes institutional endorsement and legitimacy from formal and informal institutions. It shows the use of regulative, normative and cognitive dimensions and influences on entrepreneurial intentions and actions. This research shows how institutions interact with Kuwaiti youth and what role they play in the formulation of intentions and actions concerning entrepreneurship. A number of key formal and informal institutions have come to the fore that influence one another (in)directly as living entities, and likewise influence the youth (in)directly. The research contribution also shows that young people have to approach some key institutions and in return their desire to become entrepreneurs is strengthened or weakened depending on how institutions respond and what role they are willing to play in their lives.

This is a practice based research, based on a representation of motifs related to Kuwait's traditions and heritage through Sadu textile; the research starts with determining the factors needed by Sadu in order to move to the monumental modern art form. One of these factors is the analysis presented by the artists of the first generation in Kuwait concerning Sadu and what was presented by Sami Mohammed in his "Sadu Project" in the Eighties. From another side, to present what affected Sadu through the globalisation concept and to benefit from the same in order to show Kuwait visual culture, analyse and develop the colour philosophy in order to reach a colour group that represents Sadu modern art. This aspect of the research is bibliographic, along with other aspects, including a critical reflection on practice. The research begins by using Jacques Derrida's "Deconstruction" as a process to dismantle Sadu motifs as ornaments, symbols, colours and subject matter. It is original research as it is based on an interview with Sami Mohammed's, which revealed that, in the Sixties, he was one of the pioneer artists who used modern art as a different area in their art careers, while also building national abstraction in Kuwaiti art. The other interview is with Yahya Swailem, an art teacher and critic in Kuwait since the Sixties, who provided the research with an overview of the history of art in Kuwait. The research aims at attracting the current and young generations to the heritages and traditions of their country by transforming the Sadu textile to a Sadu modern art form in paintings and increasing the art appreciation and their cultural awareness. The research title is also the research aim and the selection of it was based on the existence of words that contributed in refining the twentieth century art as modern art and monumental and Kuwait for determining the research location that is considered the base of the research and linking them with the word "representing" that also shows something new presented by this research. Sadu was selected for this research since it is a major and essential part of the heritage and traditions of Kuwait and since it is a textile, it may be on a two dimension form and for what it witnessed through the art in Kuwait through the first generation artists. Sami Mohammed considered it a start to success in changing its form and making it more modern. The paintings produced in the research display Sadu motifs with a colour philosophy that is different from previous presentations, with a focus on large-scale paintings to gain a new meaning through monumental Sadu art.

MAJOR PROFESSORS: DR. UCHE ONYEBADI & DR. KATHERINE T. FRITH This dissertation was conducted to determine whom the Kuwaiti newspapers indexed in their news reports during the Karamat Watan protests, and how Twitter influenced the indexing process. This study also examined how and why Twitter affected Kuwaiti journalists' agenda building process during their coverage of the protests. For the purpose of this study, the theoretical framework was the indexing model and the agenda building theory. To answer the research questions and hypothesis in this dissertation the researcher used a mixed method approach, comprising the quantitative content analysis of Kuwaiti newspapers and qualitative in-depth interviews with Kuwaiti journalists. The content analysis results show that Kuwaiti newspapers indexed more public views than official views in their coverage of the Karamat Watan protests and the number of non-official sources is larger than the number of official sources in the coverage of the event- driven news. Also, the analysis shows that during the protests the independent newspapers indexed more public views than the semi- official newspapers in Kuwait. Furthermore, the interviews show that Kuwaiti journalists were not unanimous in their opinions regarding the role of twitter in their agenda building process during the protests. While some of them believed that twitter was a good tool that helped them in their coverage of the protests in particular and other events in general, others said that it was hard to be confident about the credibility of the online sources.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF MOHAMMAD ALOTAIBI, for the Master of Arts degree in Media Theory & Research, presented on March 31, 2015 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: PUBLIC DISCOURSE IN KUWAIT: EXAMINING THE USE OF TWITTER AND DIWANIYA AMONG YOUNGER GENERATION IN THE DECEMBER 2012 KUWAIT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Uche Onyebadi This thesis assessed public discourse among the younger generation in Kuwait during the country's Parliamentary elections in December, 2012. The research question examined the extent to which Twitter, as a new form of social medium, became an alternative to the more traditional diwaniya, as a forum for discussing salient public issues among the younger generation. The methodological approach in this study was a combination of the online survey instrument and semi-structure interviews. Uses and Gratifications served as the theoretical framework for the study. The major finding in the study shows that Twitter was indeed an alternative to diwaniya as a forum for public discussion and information seeking among the younger generation in Kuwait during the election. Also important is the finding that there was no statistically significant difference in the use of Twitter and diwaniya among younger generation women in that electioneering period. Finally, it was found that the level of education was a significant factor among the younger generation in their use of Twitter and their attendance of diwaniya for information gathering and discussion, as a political activities unfolded in Kuwait during the election.

TITLE: THE DIGITAL DIVIDE BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE FRESHMEN STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES IN KUWAIT Multiple studies, such as (Abdalhameid, 2002; Fraina, 1991; Okebukola & Woda, 1993) have indicated that the Digital Divide still exists in many countries, especially regarding use by men and women. However, the U.S. Department of Commerce (2002) indicated that in some developed countries, such as the United States, the digital divide has or is disappearing. Further, some studies (Cramer, 2007; Ringstaff & Kelley, 2002; Terenzini, Theophildes, & Lorang, 1984; Waxman, Lin, & Michko, 2003) have indicated that the Digital Divide can have an impact on learning outcomes. Although Kuwait is a developed country, little research has been done in Kuwait in order to determine whether the Digital Divide still exists and whether or not any Digital Divide that might exist has an impact on learning outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a Digital Divide between male and female freshmen students in the College of Health Sciences in Kuwait. In addition, the study examined how access to computers and the Internet affect male and female learning outcomes. The target population for this study was all the freshman students currently enrolled in the College of Health Sciences: a convenience sample comprised of 500 freshmen students attending single-sex programs in the College of Health Sciences in Kuwait during the 2008-2009 academic years. Two hundred fifty male and 250 female students volunteered from each single-sex program. The Digital Divide Questionnaire (DDQ) was developed by the researcher for this study, and used to gather the data. In order to address the research questions, Independent Sample t-tests were conducted using an alpha level of .05 for the difference of means between male and female students. Spearman's rho correlation and Chi-Square were used to test for significant relationships between the subscale variables and the independent variables. Findings of research question one indicated that the average time female students had access to computers at the college level was higher than male students (t= -7.216, df = 455.05, p < .05). In addition, the average time female students had access to computers and the Internet at CHS was higher than male students (t= -7.573, df = 441.95, p < .05). Findings of research question two indicated that there was a significant association between the learning outcomes at high school level and gender (Chi- Square= 44.687, df=3, p< .05). Another significant association was found between gender and learning outcomes of GPA at the college level (χ2 =23.2, p < .05). Findings of research question three indicated that a correlation (Spearman's rho = .116, P < 0.05) was found between college GPA and the average score of Internet access in college; this correlation was present for both male and female students. Moderate positive relationships (r = .545, P > 0.05) were found between students' attitudes toward computers, and access to computers and the Internet at the college level.

The primary focus of this dissertation was to explore students' perceptions of adopting Web 2.0 applications at the School of Basic Education (SBE) in Kuwait. Although Web 2.0 applications are becoming more popular among the digital generation, there is still no evidence of students' perceptions of adopting the innovation of Web 2.0 technologies in Kuwait. The problem this study addresses is that the current status of Web 2.0 technologies usage by academic students has remained educationally unknown in Kuwait. Therefore, there was a need to investigate the extent to which academic students in SBE are aware of and their usage of Web 2.0 technologies, as well as the factors and obstacles that affect using these technologies. Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory (DoI) is employed in this study to specify the factors that influence student perceptions of adopting Web 2.0 applications as learning tools. Data used in this dissertation was gathered via a survey instrument from 350 students at the SBE and was statistically analyzed to find out the answers of the research questions. This study identified the low rate of Web 2.0 awareness and adoption by the students. Descriptive statistical analysis, such as mean scores and standard deviation, were used to analyze and conclude the findings. In the rates of awareness and adoption of Web 2.0, this study also identified no statistically significant differences between the groups of all the demographic variables except the academic field. The statistically significant differences were identified between the academic variables before and after recoding the academic fields into 5 groups. A t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to determine the statistical significance. Several factors were examined in the study to identify their influence on the rate of adoption. The factors included the rate of awareness, Rogers' attributes of innovations, and the obstacles to adopt Web 2.0. The multiple linear regression technique was used to find out the percentage of variance that was explained by three groups of predictors. The overall research model explained 49% of the variance on the rate of adoption. The implications of the findings, in addition to adding empirical evidence to the body of knowledge, highlight areas for professional development, educational and institutional changes and possibility for future research.

abstract: Due to extreme summer temperatures that regularly reach 122°F (50°C), cooling energy requirements have been responsible for 70% of peak demand and 45% of total electricity consumption in Kuwait. It is estimated that 50%-60% of electric power is consumed by the residential sector, mostly in detached villas. This study analyzes the potential impact of energy efficiency measures (EEM) and renewable energy (RE) measures on the electric energy requirements of an existing villa built in 2004. Using architectural plans, interview data, and the eQUEST building energy simulation tool, a building energy model (BEM) was developed for a villa calibrated with hourly energy use data for the year 2014. Although the modeled villa consumed less energy than an average Kuwaiti villa of the same size, 26% energy reductions were still possible under compliance with 2018 building codes. Compliance with 2010 and 2014 building codes, however, would have increased energy use by 19% and 3% respectively. Furthermore, survey data of 150 villas was used to generate statistics on rooftop solar area availability. Accordingly, it was found that 78% of the survey sample’s average total rooftop area was not suitable for rooftop solar systems due to shading and other obstacles. The integration of a solar canopy circumvents this issue and also functions as a shading device for outdoor activities and as a protective cover for AC units and water tanks. Combining the highest modeled EEMs and RE measures on the villa, the energy use intensity (EUI) would be reduced to 15 kWh/m2/year from a baseline value of 127 kWh/m2/year, close to net zero. Finally, it was determined that EEMs were able to reduce the entire demand profile whereas RE measures were most effective at reducing demand around mid-day hours. In future studies, more effort should be spent on collecting hourly data from multiple villas to assist in the development of a detailed hourly bottom-up residential energy modeling methodology. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2020

Thesis advisor: Peter Krause / Why do smaller partners differ in the support that they provide to the foreign policy plans of a larger partner? Why have the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments differed in supporting the same United States (U.S.) policy plans? I argue that their actions stem from their status-seeking. My theory, deferential status competition, explains outcomes of support—and a lack thereof. I argue that a smaller partner varies in the degree of deference that it shows to a larger partner, owing to the strong-or-strained quality of their bilateral relations and its positive-or-negative assessment of a given policy plan. My theory assumes that deference yields status in the form of recognition from the larger partner; thus, smaller partners have a competitive incentive in their status community to provide support. Those smaller partners that are earlier and fuller supporters often gain reputational rewards that other, initially non-deferential peers may seek to gain by enhancing their levels of support. I evaluate my theory against two alternatives: levels of expectation from the larger partner and forms of societal preferences within the smaller partners. I use the qualitative methods of within-case process-tracing and interviews with numerous analysts, diplomats, and scholars to compare three core cases: Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Kuwait. I show that Qatar and the UAE are more status-oriented, and more competitive in their support to the U.S., than is Kuwait. My dissertation aims to contribute a timely evaluation of U.S.-Gulf relations amid systemic polarity shifts and to design a theory that explains the supportive dynamics of the U.S.’s asymmetric alignments in and beyond the Middle East. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Political Science.