The Political, Socio-Economic and Cultural Impacts of the King Abdullah Scholarship Program (KASP) in Saudi Arabia: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This study focuses on the social, political and economic impacts of the King Abdullah overseas Scholarship Program (KASP) in Saudi Arabia. Established in 2006, the primary aim of KASP is to support the scientific and technological development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by significantly enhancing the professional capability of its workforce and by establishing strong international scientific and economic networks. KASP is the largest student scholarship program ever supported by a nation state, sponsoring over 185,000 students at an annual cost of almost $US6 billion. The aims of this study were to investigate: the social, economic and political impacts of the scheme for the recipients and for the nation; the extent to which the Program's recipients and the Saudi nation have received value for investment from KASP; new opportunities and challenges for Saudi Arabia that have arisen from the KASP scheme; and in what ways the Program might be improved. An exploratory case study approach was employed for this study because it allowed a range of qualitative and quantitative data to be collected and analysed in order to provide important insights regarding the nature and impact of KASP. A descriptive survey of Saudi KASP recipients was used for collecting measurable data, while interviews and a focus group were used for the purpose of understanding and interpreting the quantitative data collected. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the quantitative data collected through the survey, and the technique of thematic analysis was used to identify the major issues and themes to emerge from the qualitative data collected through the survey, interviews and focus group.