Liberalization Against Democracy: The Local Politics Of Economic Reform In Tunisia (indiana Series In Middle East Studies)

Annotation "... a very important contribution to contemporary debates on economic and political reform in developing countries. Based on interviews King conducted himself, this is an honest, unvarnished examination and critique of propositions that are treated like gospel." -- Lisa Anderson In Liberalization against Democracy, Stephen J. King argues that, in contrast to prevailing views, pro-market economic reforms in Tunisia did not foster democratization. Instead, state-led economic liberalization facilitated the reorganization of authoritarian rule and contributed to the subversion of democratic tendencies at both the national and local levels. In addition to King's analysis of neo-liberal economic transformation and regime change at the national level, his book offers a rare local-level analysis of these processes, based on the author's extensive fieldwork in the rural community of Tebourba. King's focus on the local level of analysis is particularly valuable. His community study shows firsthand how local elites have manipulated cultural traditionalism in order to sustain market-oriented reforms. This rich account clearly delineates the pathways by which pro-market reforms in Tunisia have fostered corporatism, clientelism, and authoritarianism. Contents......Page 8 Tables......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Map......Page 15 1. Liberalization against Democracy......Page 16 2. Neo-liberal Transformation in Tunisia......Page 40 3. Marketization and the Retraditionalization of Local Politics......Page 57 4. Neo-traditionalism in Tebourba......Page 91 5. Structural Adjustment and the Small Peasantry......Page 127 6. The Politics of Empowering the Winners of Economic Reform......Page 148 Bibliography......Page 156 Index......Page 170 About the Author......Page 177 A rich account that clearly delineates the pathways by which pro-market reforms in Tunisia have fostered the opposite of reform: corporatism, clientelism, and authoritarianism.

About the Author:
STEPHEN J. KING is Assistant Professor of Government at Georgetown University.

Annotation Local-level Study Of A Rural Tunisian Town That Illustrates Why Market-oriented Economic Reforms Have Not Necessarily Led To Politicl Liberalization. Indiana Series In Middle East Studies Mark Tessler, General Editor. IN THE MID-1990s, Tebourba, a large village in the fertile northwest region of Tunisia, began implementing land policies that were part of a structural adjustment program (SAP).