Steve L. Monroe
Assistant Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore
Our Work
Despite decades of international pressure, Arab regimes' adoption of trade liberalizing policies has been varied, selective, and often ineffective; neoliberal trade policies have not deepened international trade in many Arab markets. This book explains why.
Mirages of Reform argues that geopolitics and social connections between state and capital shape the Arab world's uneven trade policies. When regimes have strong support from global powers and strong social connections to the industrial elite, they engage in extensive but deceptive trade policy reform: Behind an edifice of liberalizing trade policies, illicit forms of protectionism like tax evasion, insider information, and noncompetitive procurement shield the socially connected from international competition. ​
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Combining deep case knowledge with advanced quantitative methods, this award-winning manuscript clarifies why protectionist policies persist in some Arab markets, and not others. Click the links below to order the book, listen to podcasts about the book and access its online materials. Scroll down to read excerpts from reviews and the back cover.
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Order: here (Cornell University Press) or here (Amazon)​
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Listen: Governance Uncovered, New Books Network
Reviewed: Foreign Affairs, Mediterranean Politics
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Praise for Mirages of Reform
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Reviews
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"Mirages of Reform is an excellent example of the new wave of political economy research in developing countries - theoretically precise, rich with detail, while also deploying new quantitative methods and data. This book's lessons are valuable for Middle East and Mediterranean scholars but also for development economists and others who want to know why trade policy has had such mixed results at encouraging inclusive growth."
- Robert Kubinec, University of South Carolina, in Mediterranean Politics.
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"For decades, international pressure for trade liberalization in the Arab world has done little to truly open up economies. Yet the reasons for this failure are poorly understood. Many countries resisted reform altogether. But even where governments did embrace reforms, cronyism and corruption ensured that protectionism endured. Monroe explains why, drawing on interviews with policymakers, archival work, and novel data on decades of putative policy changes in the Middle East." - Foreign Affairs
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Back Cover
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“A fresh take on longstanding debates about the persistence of trade protectionism in the Arab world. Through an in-depth study of Jordan and regional extensions, Monroe traces how domestic and international factors enable governments to maintain protectionist policies while ostensibly undertaking trade policy reform. This is a must-read for anyone interested in economic underdevelopment in the Arab world.” – Melani Cammett, Harvard University.
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"If you’ve ever wondered how economic privileges bestowed on politically connected firms help them beat not only domestic, but also international, competition, this book is a must-read. Monroe convincingly shows how Arab countries liberalizing under Western pressure replaced de jure trade protection for all with de facto protection for the few." —Ishac Diwan, Paris School of Economics.
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“Mirages of Reform develops an original and ambitious argument about trade reforms and cronyism in the Arab world through a combination of deep case knowledge and advanced quantitative methods. The book’s theoretical framing will be of interest to political economists beyond the MENA region.”—Steffen Hertog, London School of Economics.
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“Based on a carefully researched and nuanced understanding of social ties and geopolitics in Jordan, Mirages of Reform provides important lessons for students of political economy and the region, and cautionary notes for policymakers seeking to use liberal trade policies as tools of peace and prosperity." —Ellen Lust, Cornell University and University of Gothenburg.
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“Mirages of Reform delivers a unique and persuasive investigation into the politics of trade reform and protection in Jordan and elsewhere. Based on multiple levels of evidence linking geopolitical pressures to policy implementation, the book advances broader understandings of political variation in trade across the Middle East and North Africa.”—Pete Moore, Case Western Reserve University.​
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