Arabian Business reports (here) that Prince Alwaleed's personal accounts and wealth are to be published in the weekly magazine this week. While this sort of transparency is welcome in a country more often characterised by opacity (especially with regards to the assets of the royal family), it could be a double edged sword:
a) With structural economic conditions in Saudi Arabia already plagued by a demographic problem that does not seem to have a solution (namely high youth unemployment with high rates of population growth), such disclosures of what will perceived to be obscene amounts of wealth will only highlight inequality and possibly breed resentment amongst locals. Alwaleed's wealth can only be at best a small proxy of the total wealth of the Royal family.
b) This will also raise questions about legitmacy. While I have not done substantial research on this issue (mainly because such research is impossible when no readily available data exists), the divide between actual "personal" wealth and the wealth derived due to the Al Saud's de facto private ownership of national resources is a fuzzy one. Personal wealth and national wealth are effectively interchangeable for the Royal family. This can only breed more resentment.
Fortunately for Alwaleed, it is being published in an English language weekly, largely inaccessible to the masses.
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