Abstract
Given the persistence of authoritarianism in almost all Islamic countries in the modern period, there has been a strong tendency to establish a causal connection between Islam and authoritarianism. An alternative explanation derived from the rentier-state model may render this connection spurious, as it advances a compelling explanation of authoritarianism. Far from being an outcome of Islamic culture or the legacy of historical Islam, this model focuses on the effect of the availability of enormous petrodollars on the structure and functions of the state in Islamic countries. The concept of the rentier state, or the rentier economy, applies to a country that relies on substantial external rent in the form of the sale of oil, transit charges (Suez Canal), or tourism. Rentier economy has farreaching political, social, and cultural consequences. First, only a small fraction of the population is directly involved in the creation of wealth. As a result, modern social organizations associated with productive activities have been developed only to a limited extent. Second, the work-reward nexus is no longer the central feature of economic transaction, where wealth is the end result of the individual’s involvement in a long, risky, and organized production process. Wealth is rather accidental, a windfall gain, or situational, where citizenship becomes a source of economic benefit.
Correspondence to bi@bikupan.se.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Beblawi, Hazem and Giacomo Luciani (eds.). 1987. The Rentier State. London, New York, Sydney: Croom Helm.
Inglehart, Ronald and Wayne E. Baker. 2000. “Modernization, Cultural Change, and the Persistence of Traditional Values.” American Sociological Review 65 (1): 19–51.
Londregan, John B. and Keith T. Poole. 1996. “Does High Income Promote Democracy?” World Politics 49 (1): 1–30.
Mandavy, Hussein. 1970. “Patterns and Problems of Economic Development in Rentier States: The Case of Iran.” In Studies in the Economic History of the Middle East, edited by Michael A. Cook, pp. 428–67. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Moaddel, Mansoor. 2002. “The study of Islamic Culture and Politics: An Overview and Assessment.” Annual Review of Sociology 28: 359–86.
Norris, Pippa. (ed.). 1999. Critical Citizens: Global Support for Democratic Governance. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Norris, Pippa and Ronald Inglehart. 2003. “Islamic Culture and Democracy: Testing the Clash of Civilization Thesis.” In Human Values and Social Change: Findings from the World Values Surveys, edited by Ronald Inglehart, pp. 5–33. Leiden, Boston: Brill.
Ross, Michael L. 2002. “Does Oil Hinder Democracy?” World Politics 53 (3): 325–61.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2007 Mansoor Moaddel
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Puranen, B., Widenfalk, O. (2007). The Rentier State: Does Rentierism Hinder Democracy?. In: Moaddel, M. (eds) Values and Perceptions of the Islamic and Middle Eastern Publics. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230603332_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230603332_7
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-0-230-62198-5
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-60333-2
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)