The flight of rent: The rise and fall of a national economy

Journal of North African Studies

Volumn 2, Issue 1, 1997, Pages 1-15

  Ruf, Werner ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF KASSEL   (Germany)

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[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 0010328847     PISSN: 13629387     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/13629389708718285     Document Type: Article

References (40)

1. See G. de Villers, 'l'Etal démiurge: le cas algérien' (Paris: L'Harmattan 1987) who uses this concept to create the image of the internally generated Algerian state in the era of Houari Boumediènne.
2. Ibid., p.72.
3. Ibid.; also W.B. Quandt, Revolution and Political Leadership: Algeria 1954-1968 (Cambridge, MA: CUP 1969).
4. Ibid.; also W.B. Quandt, Revolution and Political Leadership: Algeria 1954-1968 (Cambridge, MA: CUP 1969).
5. Ministère d'Information et de la Culture, 'Le choix industriel de l'Algérie': dossier documentaire No. 16, Nov. 1971, p.21.
6. 'Rent' in the context of development policy means basically the inflows of receipts to the state which do not derive from domestic productivity. In the case of Algeria these arose from migrant remittances and, in an increasing amount after 1973, from hydrocarbon export revenues. The state could thus avoid financing its provision of social, investment and even military expenditure from tax revenues. The consequences of this were that the state could neglect the viability and competitiveness of domestic agricultural and industrial production, provided the rent continued to flow, paying instead from rent income for unlimited amounts of imports. A balanced or positive balance of payments concealed growing foreign dependence and hindered - particularly in the Gulf states - the development and modernisation of the national economy. The overall distribution of rent and the encouragement of privilege became an instrument of political control. See, for example, P. Pawelka Der Vordere Orient und die Internationale Politik (Stuttgart, Berlin, Köln: Westdeutscher Verlag 1993) particularly pp.102-72 and the rich bibliography contained therein.
7. Ministère de l'Information et de la Culture, dossier documentaire No. 16, Nov. 1971, p.25.
8. See A.-M. Sayad, 'Le phénomène migratoire; un relation de domination' in L. Talha (ed) Maghrebins en France - Emigrés ou immigrés? (Paris: CNRS 1983) pp.365-406, see Table 1, p.392.
9. For his basic concepts see G. Destanne de Bernis, 'Industries industrialisantes et contenus d'une politique d'intégration régionale, Economie Appliquée, 3, 4 (1966) pp.415-73; 'Quelques observations au sujet du rôle de la production des biens d'équipement dans un processus général d'industrialisation et de développement national fondé sur la transformation des hydrocarbures', in Centre Arabe d'Etudes Petrolières, Etudes et documents, 2, 40 ('Le Pétrole et le Gaz Arabes') Beirut, (16 Nov. 1970) pp.19-37; 'Les industries industrialisantes et les options algériennes', Revue Tiers-Monde, 12, 47 (July/Sept. 1971) pp.545-663.
10. For his basic concepts see G. Destanne de Bernis, 'Industries industrialisantes et contenus d'une politique d'intégration régionale, Economie Appliquée, 3, 4 (1966) pp.415-73; 'Quelques observations au sujet du rôle de la production des biens d'équipement dans un processus général d'industrialisation et de développement national fondé sur la transformation des hydrocarbures', in Centre Arabe d'Etudes Petrolières, Etudes et documents, 2, 40 ('Le Pétrole et le Gaz Arabes') Beirut, (16 Nov. 1970) pp.19-37; 'Les industries industrialisantes et les options algériennes', Revue Tiers-Monde, 12, 47 (July/Sept. 1971) pp.545-663.
11. For his basic concepts see G. Destanne de Bernis, 'Industries industrialisantes et contenus d'une politique d'intégration régionale, Economie Appliquée, 3, 4 (1966) pp.415-73; 'Quelques observations au sujet du rôle de la production des biens d'équipement dans un processus général d'industrialisation et de développement national fondé sur la transformation des hydrocarbures', in Centre Arabe d'Etudes Petrolières, Etudes et documents, 2, 40 ('Le Pétrole et le Gaz Arabes') Beirut, (16 Nov. 1970) pp.19-37; 'Les industries industrialisantes et les options algériennes', Revue Tiers-Monde, 12, 47 (July/Sept. 1971) pp.545-663.
12. Destanne de Bernis, 1970 (note 8) p.20.
13. Destanne de Bernis, 1971 (note 8) p.547.
14. H. Eisenhans, 'Algerien', in D. Nohlen and D. Nuscheler (eds.), Handbuch der Dritten Welt, Vol.6 (1993) pp.190-216, see p.194.
15. See H. Michel, 'Chronique Algérienne', in IREMAM/CNRS, Annuaire de l'Afrique du Nord 1984 (Paris 1986), Table 2 (Evolution of state budget) p.380.
16. International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (annual).
17. T. Benhouria, 1980, L'économie de l'Algerie, Paris, p.431.
18. See, for example, M. Raffinot and P. Jacquemot, Le Capitalisme d'Etat Algérien (Paris: François Maspéro 1977).
19. See particularly Hartmut Elsenhams's various works on the subject.
20. For a major critique of this concept see W. Ruf, 'Probleme des Analyse des Staates in der West - Zur Kritik am Staatsklassenansatz', in R. Leveau and W. Ruf (eds.), Migration und Staat (Munster: Lit Verlag 1991) pp.36-56.
21. e cycle, Université Lille II, p.290.
22. Fondation Saint-Simon, Comprendre l'Algérie (Paris 1995) p.15.
23. Le Monde, 3 April 1990.
24. After M. Olivier, 'L'économie algérienne vingt ans après 1996: l'indépendance nationale en question', Annuaire de l'Afrique du Nord 1985 (Paris: IREMAM/CNRS 1997) pp.417-57, and F. Ghiles 'Financements Extérieurs de l'économic algérienne, situation et perspectives', Annuaire de l'Afrique du Nord 1989 (Paris: IREMAM/CNRS 1991) pp.421-30. The data used here is based on material from the World Bank and the Banque d'Algérie. World Bank, World Development Report 1991 and 1993. For the years 1980-90, Elsenhans (1993) comes to the conclusion that debt was around $3 bn higher than given in this table. The figure for 1991 is congruent with this.
25. After M. Olivier, 'L'économie algérienne vingt ans après 1996: l'indépendance nationale en question', Annuaire de l'Afrique du Nord 1985 (Paris: IREMAM/CNRS 1997) pp.417-57, and F. Ghiles 'Financements Extérieurs de l'économic algérienne, situation et perspectives', Annuaire de l'Afrique du Nord 1989 (Paris: IREMAM/CNRS 1991) pp.421-30. The data used here is based on material from the World Bank and the Banque d'Algérie. World Bank, World Development Report 1991 and 1993. For the years 1980-90, Elsenhans (1993) comes to the conclusion that debt was around $3 bn higher than given in this table. The figure for 1991 is congruent with this.
26. After M. Olivier, 'L'économie algérienne vingt ans après 1996: l'indépendance nationale en question', Annuaire de l'Afrique du Nord 1985 (Paris: IREMAM/CNRS 1997) pp.417-57, and F. Ghiles 'Financements Extérieurs de l'économic algérienne, situation et perspectives', Annuaire de l'Afrique du Nord 1989 (Paris: IREMAM/CNRS 1991) pp.421-30. The data used here is based on material from the World Bank and the Banque d'Algérie. World Bank, World Development Report 1991 and 1993. For the years 1980-90, Elsenhans (1993) comes to the conclusion that debt was around $3 bn higher than given in this table. The figure for 1991 is congruent with this.
27. Thus, for example, $360 m was repaid in 1974. See Benissad, Mohamed el Hocine, Economie du développement de l'Algérie - sous-developpement et socialisme (Paris: Economica 1979) p.241.
28. See Elsenhans (note 11) p.193.
29. See the brilliant analysis of M.B. Tlemcani, 'La crise de la dette au Maghreb: données économiques et implications sociales', Annuaire de l'Afrique du Nord 1991 (Paris: IREMAM/CNRS 1993) p.355-64.
30. Bundesanstalt für Aussenhandelsinformationen, Algerien-Wirtschaftstrende zum Jahreswechsee 1995/96 (Cologne: March 1996).
31. The sources which were used for this study bear examination - 'International financial organisations, highly considered foreign exports' (see p.2). It is clear that the Bureau cannot have taken the 1996 figures into account in its calculations.
32. See L. Talha, 'Le pouvoir joue son va-tout. Economie de guerre en Algérie' in Le Monde Diplomatique, Aug. 1992.
33. Bundesanstalt (note 25) p.12.
34. Le Monde, 12 April 1994.
35. Le Monde, 3 April 1994.
36. Ibid.
37. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 13 July 1994.
38. '[This help] was used by the Algerian government to gain time, buy weapons, feed the population and buy it off ... which was secured by daily repression. It also indirectly fed the wave of corruption from which the barons of the regime profited. It was not used at all to make productive investments. It did not serve to support a political dialogue; instead it was used to underwrite a policy of repression'. R. Leveau L'Algérie dans la guerre (Brussels: Editions Complexe 1995) p.129f.
39. See also L. Hannone, Une autre voix pour l'Algerie (Paris: La Découverte 1996) p.292.
40. Symbolically this is demonstrated by Algeria's renunciation of its nuclear programme under IMF pressure.