How has Islam as a set of beliefs and practices shaped the allocation of oil revenues in Arab Gulf monarchies? In turn, how has oil wealth impacted the role of Islamic doctrine in politics? Refining the Common Good explores the relationship between Islamic norms and the circulation of oil wealth in Gulf monarchies. The study demonstrates how both oil (revenues) and Islam (as doctrine) are manipulated as tools of state power, and how religious norms are refined for the sake of achieving narrow secular interests. Miriam R. Lowi examines different institutionalized practices financed by hydrocarbon revenues and sanctioned, either implicitly or explicitly, by Islam, and uses evidence from Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia to show how these practices are infused with political purpose. The dynamic relationship between oil wealth and Islamic doctrine is exploited to contribute to the management and control of society, and the consolidation of dynastic autocracy.

‘Lowi explores the material and the moral sides of Gulf politics, showing how they are linked through the political process in general and by regime strategies and tactics in particular.’

Nathan J. Brown - George Washington University

‘Refining the Common Good is an outstanding book which breaks genuinely new ground - conceptually as well as empirically - in its comparative study of the interplay between religion and distribution in the Gulf States. Miriam Lowi makes a highly original and compelling addition not only to the literature on the political economy of the Gulf States but also to the literature on Islam and politics more broadly.’

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen - Rice University

‘Refining the Common Good marshals original research on the political economy, religious discourses, and political logics in Arabia. Miriam Lowi vividly argues that in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman both revenues from hydrocarbons and Islam as a normative system are instrumentalized to achieve the goals of ruling elites, specifically enhancing their privileges and maintaining their control and domination over society. This is a book that will enlighten area experts and enrich scholarship on oil, redistribution, and regime survival.’

Arang Keshavarzian - New York University