The last ten years have been marked by political economy transformations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. Financialisation has increased, public-private partnerships proliferated, sovereign wealth funds gained prominence, and each Gulf state has acceded to the World Trade Organization. These changes have been instrumental in bringing the region to the forefront of global political economy discourse in capacities beyond the oil market. (Legrenzi and Momani 2011; Hertog 2010; Hvidt 2007) Not only are Gulf states confronted with a shifting economic architecture, but they are also faced with intensifying policy challenges like rising unemployment among a burgeoning demographic of young labour market entrants. (Winckler 2009; Economist Intelligence Unit, Gulf 2020, 2009) Combined, these factors are challenging the social contract status quo. Whereas many Gulf populations have grown accustomed to the abundantly generous provision of public goods, the economic strain of maintaining these is intensifying. As the economy grows increasingly diversified, the provision of goods, particularly employment, is increasingly disseminated to other actors. Indeed, Gulf states seem to have reached a threshold of possible change, between clear and delineated structures of their rentier past and the yet uncertain structures of the approaching future. While Gulf economies have decidedly evolved, it remains uncertain whether governance in the region is following suit. (Schlumberger 2008;Glasser 2001; Davidson 2009) This paper suggests that novel forms of governance may be emerging in the region. It is particularly concerned with changes in the policy space on issues of youth inclusion. Pointing toward new phenomena like regional economic policy initiatives and networks, this paper challenges some traditional assumptions of the rentier state literature and posits novel trends in the opening of the policy making space around particular issue areas. On one level, this paper is concerned with development choices, political economy transformations and evolving development model and policy-making processes. On another level, it is concerned with the transformation of youth agency within a subregion that has historically had little need to respond to the population but finds itself in a broader region where governments are toppling in the face of growing youth demands. Questioning the source and the direction of this change, it posits the broader meaning for future evolutions in development policy making and delineates a research agenda for examining the nexus of youth inclusion and policy making in Gulf rentier context.