Dubai’s socio-economic transformation between 1998 and 2008: the case of a rentier, developmental and competition state hybrid model

This article explores the relations between socio-economic development in modern Dubai with reference to a rentier developmental and competition state (RDC) hybrid model. A recent academic study on Dubai has shown that there is a positive correlation between the city’s rapid socio-economic modernisation or transformation and a multipronged paradigmatic approach to development. Similar to other countries, the semi-autonomous city state of Dubai has used various ecosystems of integrated development plans to dictate the pace and direction of the city’s development trajectory. The conclusion drawn in this paper is that there is no one path to development; the government of Dubai is cognisant of that and has thus used the capacity and resources of the state to transform the once impoverished and marginalised sheikhdom into a ‘commoditised’ prosperous city-corporate entity within a short period of time.