Journal ArticleDOI
Understanding revolution in the middle east: the central role of the middle class
TLDR
In this article, the authors present the outlines of a coherent, structural, long term account of the socioeconomic and political evolution of the Arab republics that can explain both the persistence of autocracy until 2011, and the eventual collapse, in a way that is empirically verifiable.Abstract:
The paper presents the outlines of a coherent, structural, long term account of the socio-economic and political evolution of the Arab republics that can explain both the persistence of autocracy until 2011, and the its eventual collapse, in a way that is empirically verifiable. I argue that the changing interests of the middle class would have to be a central aspect of a coherent story, on accounts of both distributional and modernization considerations, and that the ongoing transformation can be best understood in terms of their defection from the autocratic order to a new democratic order, which is still in formation. I then review what the evidence says in two central parts of the emerging narrative, for the case of Egypt: first, by looking directly at changes in opinion and asking whether these are consistent with the predictions of the theory. And second, by examining the corporate sector before and during the uprisings of 2011 in order to understand better the performance of “crony capitalism”, and...read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Capitalism and Class in the Gulf Arab States
TL;DR: Hanieh, Adam Hanieh as discussed by the authors, Capitalism and Class in the Gulf Arab States (London: Palgrave McMillan, 2011) The revolutions across the Middle East shocked political analysts and academics alike, as their intellect...
Journal ArticleDOI
Egypt on the Brink: From Nasser to Mubarak
TL;DR: In this article, Tarek Osman states an irresolvable dilemma; and interestingly, the refe..., the authors of this paper discuss the problem of finding a solution to it.
Journal ArticleDOI
The puzzle of greenhouse gas footprints of oil abundance
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors put forward a three-sector decision model, which provides a common ground for the assessment of the interaction of the structuralist and institutional factors influencing environmental pollution in the oil-reliant economies.
BookDOI
African Economic Outlook 2014
TL;DR: The African Economic Outlook 2014 as discussed by the authors analyzes the continent's growing role in the world economy and predicts two-year macroeconomic prospects, focusing on the performance of African economies in crucial areas: growth, financing, trade policies and regional integration, human development, and governance.
References
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Book
The Logic of Political Survival
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita,Alastair Smith,Randolph M. Siverson,James D. Morrow,James D. Morrow,James D. Morrow +5 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors construct a provocative theory on the selection of leaders and present specific formal models from which their central claims can be deduced, showing how political leaders allocate resources and how institutions for selecting leaders create incentives for leaders to pursue good and bad public policy.
Journal ArticleDOI
Does Oil Hinder Democracy
TL;DR: The authors examined three aspects of this "oil impedes democracy" claim and found that oil exports are strongly associated with authoritarian rule, and that other types of mineral exports have a similar antidemocratic effect, while other commodity exports do not.
Journal ArticleDOI
Estimating the Value of Political Connections
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used the Jakarta Stock Exchange's reaction to news about former President Suharto's health to assess the value of political connections and found that as much as a quarter of a firm's share price may be accounted for by political connections.
Book
Democratic Experiments in Africa: Regime Transitions in Comparative Perspective
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a political-institutional theoretical framework in which the distinctive political traditions of Africa's neopatrimonial states are shown to have powerfully shaped the regime transitions, and demonstrated that economic and international forces often provided the context in which political liberalization occurred, but cannot by themselves explain the observed outcomes.
Journal ArticleDOI
Do Lenders Favor Politically Connected Firms? Rent Provision in an Emerging Financial Market
Atif Mian,Asim Ijaz Khwaja +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the extent, nature, and economic costs of political rent provision in government banks and found that political firms borrow twice as much and have 50% higher default rates.
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