A Comparative Political Economy of Tunisia and Morocco: On the Outside of Europe Looking In

by Gregory White

Overview

This book examines the profound impact of European integration on two North African countries, Tunisia and Morocco. Confronting the theoretical literatures on the "entanglements" of the domestic and international realms, and the intricate role played by the middle-income state in the international arena, White provides the first detailed comparison of Tunisia and Morocco's post-independence political economies, especially in the context of the "Euro-Mediterranean Partnerships" signed with the European Union in the late 1990s.

North African states must act, on the one hand, as entrepreneurs seeking to encourage trade and attract foreign investment within the domestic economy, in the process of crafting foreign economic policy with the European Union. On the other hand, such states are constrained by domestic pressures such as imperatives to secure job creation and maintain internal security. Countries on the periphery are therefore faced with two distinct questions: first, how does a middle-income state balance its conflicting roles and manage its relations with a regional power; and second, how does the relationship with the outside world affect key domestic actors? Answering these questions is one of the primary challenges facing Tunisia and Morocco in the new decade.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791490280
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	07/26/2001
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	252
File size:	886 KB

About the Author

Gregory White is Associate Professor of Government at Smith College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Part I: Theoretical Framework

Chapter 1 Middle-Income Countries and the Politics of Economic Change

Chapter 2 A Political Economy of Tunisia and Morocco

Part II: The International Realm and Maghribi Political Economy

Chapter 3 Euro-Maghribi Relations: The International Context of Maghribi Domestic Development

Chapter 4 Tunisia's Infitah to Europe: The “Tunisia Model”

Chapter 5 Morocco's Deferred Adjustment

Part III: State-in-Society and State-in-the-International-Economy

Chapter 6 Who's Winning? Tunisia and Morocco's Competition for Partnership with the European Union

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

This is a craftsman-like treatment of an important subject in the fields of political science, political economy, international affairs, and Middle East/North African studies. Clear and direct, it is accessible to lay readers and specialists alike.— John P. Entelis, editor of Islam, Democracy, and the State in North Africa

"The topic is very significant. As developed countries in Europe, North America, and Asia become increasingly integrated, those countries on the periphery will be marginalized or become clients. This book shows how this happens, why this happens, and what the process looks like."— Matthew J. Costello, Saint Xavier University"

From the Publisher

White (government, Smith College) argues that Tunis and Morocco's contemporary economic difficulties are an outgrowth of their position on the periphery of an economic space dominated by Europe. He analyzes the two north African nations' political economies and their historical relationships to the European Union, concluding that Tunisia has become a "non-member member" of the EU<-->a contributor without the power or privileges of membership<-->and that Morocco<-- >though less tied to the EU<-->is also profoundly affected by the European economy. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews