Synopses & Reviews
Praise for Previous Editions
This is one of the most important books about the Middle East to appear in the last thirty years. Richards and Waterbury have broken new ground with what is the first systematic economy analysis of the region. . . . Their landmark study will make us rethink the conventional wisdom about Middle East politics.” Michael C. Hudson, Georgetown University
Interesting, informative, and challenging.” Choice (Outstanding Title)
In analyzing the ongoing socioeconomic transformations of the Middle East, Richards and Waterbury provide remarkable insights into both the commonalities that give the region its identity and the many variations among countries. . . . Clear, informative, and amply documented throughout, the book is unique in its scope.” Timur Kuran, Duke University
This integrated, analytic text presents a comprehensive analysis of the transformation and development of the political economy in the Middle East over the past several decades. In this 2013 updated third edition of A Political Economy of the Middle East, the book retains its focus on the interaction of economic development processes, state systems, and social actors even as it also:
Explores the impact of the Arab Spring and subsequent events in the region in a wholly new chapter;
Documents the many changes in demography, education, labor markets, urbanization, water and agriculture, and international labor migration in the Middle East in recent years;
Considers the effect of rising oil prices on reinforcement of authoritarian governance in the region;
Refines its assessment of the Washington Consensus” to provide a more nuanced approach to the issue of the shifting balance of state and market in economic growth and reform;
Presents Islamism as a vital force in the region that is nonetheless a vast, diverse social movement with many conflicting participants.
Alan Richards is professor emeritus of economics and environmental studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
John Waterbury is President Emeritus of the American University of Beirut and Global Professor at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Melani Cammett is associate professor of political science at Brown University.
Ishac Diwan is lecturer in public policy and the director for Africa and the Middle East at the Center for International Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Review
Praise for the previous editions:
Given ongoing developments in the Middle East and North Africa, this updated edition is most welcome and remains a valuable resource for its comprehensive coverage of the relevant economic, political, social, and religious issues affecting the region
[T]his well-written book is the ideal text for a course on the political economy of the region and also for a variety of other courses in the growing field of Middle Eastern studies. Its nontechnical style makes it accessible to those new to the subject. Highly recommended.”
—Choice
Interesting, informative, and challenging.”
—Choice (outstanding title)
Richards and Waterbury successfully presented a comprehensive study of the Middle East economies in the first edition of this book, [which was] interesting, informative, and challenging, and many Middle East scholars have found it an indispensable reference source. This second edition is just as successful.
This outstanding book is a must for any library collection.”
—Choice
The best text on the political economy of the Middle East. The analysis is deep and the coverage is comprehensive.”
—Maen Nsour, George Mason University
This is one of the best all-around textbooks on the Middle East I know, and the updated edition even improves its status.”
—Uri M. Kupferschmidt, University of Haifa
Comprehensive and readable presentation of a complex subject, treated with candor and objectivity. A unique, stand-alone text.”
—John Entelis, Fordham University
In analyzing the ongoing socioeconomic transformations of the Middle East, Richards and Waterbury provide remarkable insights into both the commonalities that give the region its identity and the many variations among countries. They recognize that the regions actors are driven by material as well as nonmaterial concerns, and they identify linkages between political institutions and economic patterns. Clear, informative, and amply documented throughout, the book is unique in its scope.”
—Timur Kuran, University of Southern California
Richards and Waterbury have written a study that should stand not only as the definitive description of the region at the end of the 1980s, but also as a model of political economic analysis.”
—Journal of Developing Societies
This rich work should form the centerpiece for future study of the economic development of the Middle East.”
—Current History
This is an excellent, well-written book…a rich tapestry that does justice to the complex subject at hand. Their sociopolitical analyses of the political regimes, the military and the state, and class interests are perceptive and thought-provoking. …This is a book that I would strongly recommendnot only to all those concerned with the Middle East but also to many of those concerned with development issues in these complex times.
—Finance and Development
Each generation produces a limited crop of important books on the Middle East. A Political Economy of the Middle East…is one of these books. In a thorough and methodical manner, Richards and Waterbury address the hard development issues, including the role of natural resources, population, agriculture, the growth and frequent dominance of the public sector, and the military as an actor in politics as well as the economy. …In sum, A Political Economy of the Middle East is truly a significant book. It is strongly recommended to anyone who desires a better understanding of the socio-economic forces that drive the region.”
—Middle East Insight
Seldom has a book been more timely. This volume for years to come will be one of the standard sources for those interested in the Middle East and North Africa.”
—The Annals of the American Academy
This important and stimulating book will be useful for all students of the contemporary Middle East. Richards and Waterbury provide a comprehensive interpretation of the main structural features of the region in the second half of the 20th century. Not the least of this books virtues is the authors decision to cover the area from Morocco to Iran, including Turkey and Israel. A second virtue is their insistent focus on human beings, represented in social classes, as the subjects and objects of political and economic change. …This book is clearly a substantial achievement.”
—Lisa Anderson, Columbia University in International Journal of Middle East Studies
This is one of the most important books about the Middle East to appear in the last thirty years. Richards and Waterbury have broken new ground with what is the first systematic political economy analysis of the region. …Their landmark study will make us rethink the conventional wisdom about Middle East politics.”
—Michael C. Hudson, Georgetown University
This informative, analytic, and thoughtful book is by far the most comprehensive and best politico-economic study of the Middle East and North Africa. It is the just the book I would like to use in my classes. I wish I had written it.”
—Charles Issawi, Princeton University
Synopsis
A landmark analysis of the ongoing socioeconomic transformations of the Middle East, now with an epilogue on the Arab Spring.
Synopsis
This integrated, analytic text presents a comprehensive analysis transformation and development of the political economy in the Middle East over the past several decades. In this updated third edition of
A Political Economy of the Middle East, the book retains its focus on the interaction of economic development processes, state systems, and social actors even as it also:
Explores the impact of the Arab Spring and subsequent events to the issues raised throughout the textbook in a wholly new chapter;
Documents the many changes in demography, education, labor markets, urbanization, water and agriculture, and international labor migration in the Middle East in recent years;
Considers the effect of rising oil prices on reinforcement of authoritarian governance in the region;
Refines its assessment of the Washington Consensus” to provide a more nuanced approach to the issue of the shifting balance of state and market in economic growth and reform;
Presents Islamism as a vital force in the region that is nonetheless a vast, diverse social movement with many conflicting participants.
About the Author
Alan Richards is professor of economics and environmental studies, emeritus, at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
John Waterbury is William Stewart Tod Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Emeritus, at Princeton University.
Ishac Diwan is Lecturer in Public Policy and the director for Africa and the Middle East at the growth lab of the Center for International Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Melani Cammett is associate professor of political science at Brown University.
Table of Contents
IllustrationsPreface to the Third Edition
Acronyms and Abbreviations
1 INTRODUCTION
Notes
2 THE FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY
Economic Growth and Structural Transformation
State Structure and Development Policy
Social Actors
Structural Transformation and Interest Formation
Defensive Modernization and Colonial Transformation
Conclusion
Notes
3 ECONOMIC GROWTH AND STRUCTURAL CHANGE
The Natural Resource Base
Oil Supply, Demand, and Economic Rents
Patterns of Economic Growth
Conclusion
Notes
4 THE IMPACT OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE
Comparative Demographic Patterns
The Economic Consequences of Demographic Change
The Politics of Young Populations
The Politics of Differential Fertility
Rapid Population Growth and the Would-Be Middle Class
Conclusion
Notes
5 HUMAN CAPITAL: HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND LABOR MARKETS
Health Conditions
Educational Systems
Labor Markets
Conclusion
Notes
6 WATER AND FOOD SECURITY
The Food Gap
Policy Constraints to Output Growth
Water and the Imperative of a New Food Security Strategy
Conclusion
Notes
7 THE EMERGENCE OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR
The State as Architect of Structural Transformation
Atatürk and the Turkish Paradigm
Replicating the Paradigm
State Capitalism, the State Bourgeoisie, and the Process of Accumulation
Notes
8 CONTRADICTIONS OF STATE-LED GROWTH
The Continued Dominance of Public-Sector Enterprise
The Political Economy of Structural Adjustment”
Notes
9 RE-MIXING MARKET AND STATE: THE UNCERTAIN CAREER OF THE WASHINGTON CONSENSUS”
A Survey of Country Experiences
Conclusion
Notes
10 URBAN POLITICAL ECONOMY
The Process of Urbanization
Housing and Infrastructure
Poverty and Distribution of Income
Urban Politics and Political Violence
Notes
11 POLITICAL REGIMES: AS VIEWED BY THEMSELVES AND OTHERS
Socialist Republics
Liberal” Monarchies
Established and Would-Be Democracies
The Islamic Republics
Future Regimes: Some Speculations
Notes
12 SOLIDARISM AND ITS ENEMIES
Small Groups and Clientelist Politics
The Failure of Parties
The Tenets of Solidarism
The Failure of Ideology
The Islamist Challenge
Democracy Without Democrats?
Conclusion
Notes
13 THE MILITARY AND THE STATE
The Military in Middle East Politics
Good Guys or Bad Guys?
The Economic Weight of the Military
The Military and Nation Building
The Regular Military and Civilians-in-Arms
Conclusion
Notes
14 IS ISLAM THE SOLUTION?
Preliminaries
Islamism as a Social Movement: Coalitions of Social Actors
Islamism as a Social Movement: Collective Action
Islamist Economic Thought and Practice
Islamists in Power
Conclusion
Notes
15 REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND LABOR MIGRATION
Labor Migration: An Overview
The First Stream: To the European Union
The Second Stream: To the Gulf
The Impact of Labor Migration on Sending Countries
The Impact of Migration on Receiving Countries
Conclusion
Notes
16 CONCLUSION: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE ARAB UPRISINGS
Cross-Regional Variation in the Arab Uprisings
Prolonged Discontent: The Socioeconomic Foundations of the Arab Uprisings
The Difficulties Ahead: Politics and Economic Reform
During Transitions
Notes
References
Index