The Rentier State

by Hazem Beblawi (Editor)

This volume, first published in 1987, is devoted to a discussion of interrelations of the economic base with the cultural, social and political structures, and of its impact on the state. The ‘rentier states’ of the Middle East, which derive of substantial part of their revenue from foreign sources in the form of rent, largely oil revenues, face the same basic problem, the challenge of transforming their economies to give increased strength to productive activity and rely on its progress to increase state revenue from domestic sources. The chapters collected here examine the issue of the modernization of rentier states’ public finance, which may well entail important modifications in their domestic politics.

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Anand Gopal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful collection of articles relating to rentier state politics and economics in the Arab world. This volume is notable because it introduced some influential concepts, such as the "allocative state." Be warned, though, that most authors in the collection are economists or political economists, so rational choice and behaviorist assumptions are embedded in their work.