The Kuwait Research Programme on Development, Governance and Globalisation in the Gulf States is a ten year multidisciplinary global programme. It focuses on topics such as globalisation, economic development, diversification of and challenges facing resource rich economies, trade relations between the Gulf States and major trading partners, energy trading, security and migration.

The Programme generally focuses on the states that comprise the Gulf Cooperation Council - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. However, occasionally the interests of research require a more flexible and broader conception.

The Programme is hosted by LSE Government, and led by Professor David Held. It supports post-doctoral researchers and PhD students, develops academic networks between LSE and Gulf institutions, and hosts public lectures, a regular seminar series as well as five major biennial conferences.

The first conference on the theme of ‘Globalisation and the Gulf’ took place in Kuwait City in March 2009. The Programme's second conference took place in March 2011 and focussed on ‘The Transformation of the Gulf States’.

The Programme commissions cutting edge research papers from academics and experts on the Gulf States, a number of which will inform a collected volume provisionally titled ‘Transformation of the Gulf’ set to be published in 2011.

The Programme is funded by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences. Howard Davies, LSE Director when the Programme was launched, noted: 'We are very grateful to the Kuwait Foundation for this generous pledge. It is an opportunity for the School, our staff and students to broaden and deepen knowledge about Kuwait and the Gulf States.'