ABSTRACT
There is a popular saying among Indians that “Dubai is the best-run Indian city.” Notwithstanding the implications behind this statement that Indian cities are poorly managed or that Indian capabilities are second to none, the stark reality is that hundreds of thousands of Indians and others from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia have been making a living in the Gulf region through temporary contract labor. These are mostly unskilled or semi-skilled workers engaged in the provisioning of a variety of services such as construction, retail, building maintenance and security, teaching, healthcare, and domestic help. There are also some highly skilled professionals, technical and non-technical: petroleum engineers, accountants, information technology specialists, and managers of various sorts.
