Key Elements of Saudi Social Transformation Post-Coronavirus

August 11, 2020 Speakers: Ghadah Alharthi, Hanaa Almoaibed, Ahmed Alowfi, Kristin Smith Diwan (Moderator), and Mark C. Thompson (Moderator) This program was co-hosted by AGSIW and the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies. Saudi Arabia has been undertaking a program of rapid social reform, driven by the demands of a diversifying economy and the aspirations of a new generation of Saudis. This ambitious agenda is now being challenged by the twin blows of the coronavirus pandemic and declining oil revenue. How will this new economic reality affect labor markets and social space, particularly the advances made by women? How will the limitations on mobility impact key engines for economic diversification, such as tourism? How are cultural institutions reacting to the new challenges? Are there opportunities to be found in these disruptions?