Managing Social Transformation in Qatar: Trends, Risks and Future Trajectories

The study aims to produce strategic insights that contribute to an understanding of the forces and trends shaping the future trajectories of Qatari society across socio-cultural and socio-economic domains. The project is situated methodologically in foresight analysis, drawing on trend projections, path dependency perspectives, Delphi techniques, and analysis of complex adaptive systems thinking. study aims to provide policymakers with a comprehensive understanding of emerging trends, trend drivers, inflection points, and data analysis across four strategic areas: Higher Education, Technology in Public Health, National Culture, and Social Welfare. Further, the project also seeks to help identify the challenges and opportunities facing Qatar, regulatory and policy options, and innovative pathways for improving socio-economic well-being and for positioning Qatari society strategically in readiness to manage emerging trends. The study will generate knowledge of the Qatari landscape while promoting interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to understanding the policy and legal challenges for identity transformation in Qatar. In addition, the project will examine and assess the potential for reform and efforts for transformation, basing its findings on both desk and field research and in light of international standards by which Qatar is bound. At the same time, our research will promote interdisciplinary research and collaborations within Qatar Foundation and HBKU, aligning itself with the Qatar National Vision 2030, especially the benchmarks related to the building of knowledge-based societies, according to which ‘Qatar aims to build a modern world-class educational system [..] and build an educated population’. It will further engage with the community via the organization of a number of community-based and participatory events (including, for instance, workshops on cultural heritage and transformation; events on education and capacity building; round table discussions over identity constructions and social development).

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)