Abstract:
Popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt launched the Arab Spring in 2011. Many experts have tried to explain the root causes of these uprisings and predict their democratization prospects. This thesis claims that the economic dimension is the main cause of the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, and the Arab Spring more generally. Neoliberal economic policies adopted in the liberalization period in Tunisia and Egypt constituted a failed state-led development paradigm. The economies of both countries achieved positive growth rates over years, yet sustainable development was not reached. In addition, authoritarian governance facilitated the emergence of crony capitalism, where rent derived from economic growth did not trickle down to all social structures. The adopted development model was linked to the global economy through political and economic channels, which translated continuous cyclical economic downturns. The thesis also proposes policy recommendations for a new development paradigm in the Arab world.
