Abstract

During the 1960s and 1970s, a number of developing countries have emerged among the top industrializing countries in the world achieving unprecedented growth rates. These countries became known as the Newly Industrializing Countries (NICs) or the Newly Industrializing Economies (NIEs). The interest in interpreting the NICs experience to identify prospects for emulation in other developing countries have led to a surge in the literature examining the role of the state in development and growth. It has been argued that while growth in these countries did not follow a unified path or emerge due to a unified set of factors, there is a common agreement that states, to various degrees, have been transformed to be capable of deriving rapid economic growth. The transformation was manifested in the level of adaptive capacity acquired by the state. The core components of a capable state were manifested in the administrative capacity, policy capacity and public private consultative capacity.

This thesis argues that under since Nasser's time and until the early 1980s, the state has maintained a considerable level of autonomy vis-a'-vis the various factions of capital in the society. While there were instances when the state seemed to be captured by the capitalists' interest, the amount and sources of revenues at the state's disposal and the nature of the capitalist class sustained its autonomy. The economic reforms of the 1990s did not significantly affect the political basis of state autonomy, as the broad sociopolitical context of the Egyptian society did not change. However, the structural changes in the economy necessitated the emergence of new institutional arrangements between the state and the private sector whereby the state can re-position itself from being the main agent for economic growth to a catalyst creating a conducive environment for the private sector to grow. While these institutional arrangements are essential for acquiring the adaptive capacity under transition, they remain underdeveloped in Egypt. The case study of Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry illustrates the strength and weakness of these capacity levels.

Department

Political Science Department

Degree Name

MA in Political Science

Date of Award

2-1-2006

Online Submission Date

11-1-2005

First Advisor

Ibrahim Elnur

Committee Member 1

Nadia Farah

Committee Member 2

Vikash Yadav

Document Type

Thesis

Extent

104 leaves

Rights

The American University in Cairo grants authors of theses and dissertations a maximum embargo period of two years from the date of submission, upon request. After the embargo elapses, these documents are made available publicly. If you are the author of this thesis or dissertation, and would like to request an exceptional extension of the embargo period, please write to thesisadmin@aucegypt.edu

Call Number

Thesis 2005/82

Location

mgfth

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