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Politically-Embedded Cronyism: The Case of Post-Liberalization Egypt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Amr Ismail Adly
Amr Ismail Adly*
Affiliation:
European University Institute
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Abstract

Why do many States in transitional economies lack the regulative capacities to evenly distribute property rights among emerging private firms resulting in having public good devoured by particularistic interests? I argue that uneven distribution of property rights is deeply embedded within broader power relations permeating political regimes. This study attempts to develop the concept of politically-embedded cronyism where State incumbents generate and protract uneven distribution of property rights in favor of a few private actors as tactics of regime survival that go beyond the mere interest of self-enrichment as the capture thesis would argue. Politically-embedded cronyism is likely to emerge the more State incumbents retain their relative autonomy from their cronies through higher concentration of power in the executive, less role of societal groups in general and business in particular in the reproduction of the power of top incumbents and higher public asset retention in the post-liberalization period in addition to possessing channels of political incorporation to fledging business.

Keywords

distribution of property rightscronyismregulation
Type
Article
Information
Business and Politics , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , December 2009 , pp. 1 - 26
Copyright
Copyright © V.K. Aggarwal 2009 and published under exclusive license to Cambridge University Press 

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