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Oman State Formation and Politically Influential Groups
The process of state formation facilitated by Oman's
commercial production and export of hydrocarbon resources
transformed the relationship between the ruler and the
traditional political elite comprising the ruling family,
established merchant families, and tribal shaykhs. While
reinforcing some linkages, such as the central role of the
Al
Said and the political influence of the merchant families,
other
linkages, particularly the tribes, have diminished in
importance.
Society outside the capital and urban centers remains
tribal,
with tribal leaders exercising political authority
locally. But
the power of tribes as regional pressure groups declined
steadily
as a result of the incorporation of rural areas into the
government-administered sector.
Oil revenues facilitated the transfer of some of the
income
from the state to society, creating a broader base.
Pre-oil
stratification of Omani society, wherein the ruler
depended on
the tribal shaykhs to ensure popular support, has
partially been
superseded by the establishment of a social welfare state
through
which the government fosters a direct relationship between
the
state and the individual. Government clinics, agricultural
and
industrial projects, schools, and employment in the public
sector
reinforce this new linkage.
Data as of January 1993
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