Liberalization Against Democracy: The Local Politics Of Economic Reform In Tunisia (Middle East Studies)

. . . a very important contribution to contemporary debates on economic and political reform in developing countries. Based on interviews King conducted himself, this is an honest, unvarnished examination and critique of propositions that are treated like gospel.' Lisa AndersonIn Liberalization against Democracy, Stephen J. King argues that, in contrast to prevailing views, promarket economic reforms in Tunisia did not foster democratization. Instead, stateled economic liberalization facilitated the reorganization of authoritarian rule and contributed to the subversion of democratic tendencies at both the national and local levels. In addition to King's analysis of neoliberal economic transformation and regime change at the national level, his book offers a rare locallevel analysis of these processes, based on the author's extensive fieldwork in the rural community of Tebourba. King's focus on the local level of analysis is particularly valuable. His community study shows firsthand how local elites have manipulated cultural traditionalism in order to sustain marketoriented reforms. This rich account clearly delineates the pathways by which promarket reforms inTunisia have fostered corporatism, clientelism, and authoritarianism.