International Media Pressure and Labor Migration Policy Reform in Authoritarian Regimes

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the causal relationship between international media pressure and labor migration policy reform in authoritarian states. It hypothesizes that a higher level of international media pressure increases the intensity of policy reform to improve migrant conditions. The paper uses a comparison of three Gulf states’ cases under different reputational pressures, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Kuwait. Findings suggest that Qatar, under intense global scrutiny during the preparation of the FIFA World Cup, implemented notable policy reform. UAE implements a partial adjustment. Kuwait, with limited international scrutiny, largely resists the policy reform. The case study suggests that despite all three regimes being structurally similar in their regimes and dependency on migrant worker, their depth of policy reform varies accordingly with their exposure to international media pressure. Global media pressure drives authoritarian regimes to implement labor reform as a symbolic move to secure their international legitimacy.