The Making of Contemporary Algeria, 1830-1987

An analytical account of Algerian economic development, emphasising post-independence policies up yo 1987.

In 1962, after the war of independence, the new rulers of Algeria inherited a country which had both the manpower and the financial resources needed for development, because of its reserves of oil and natural gas. During the last 26 years there have been discussions and experiments revolving around two problems: whether the economy should be controlled by the government or should be one in which private enterprise (the multi-national companies and their local agents) play a larger part; and whether the main emphasis of economic policy should be on heavy industry or on agriculture and consumer industries. This book gives a detailed account of the discussions and changes of policy and analyses the experiments and their results. Dr Bennoune argues that the rapid development of basic industries provides the only path by which countries in the Third World can hope to attain real independence, and that this policy demands a degree of public participation that only a democratic government can generate.

List of tables
Preface
List of abbreviations
Introduction
Part I. The Algerian Pre-Colonial Socio-Economic System: 1. Algerian society and economy before 1830
Part II. The Uneven Development Generated by Colonialism: 2. The nature of colonialism
3. Colonial development, population and manpower
4. Socio-economic consequences of colonial development
Part III. Post-Independence Development: 5. The aftermath of the war of national liberation
6. Industrialisation as the motor of development
7. The development of the private industrial sector
8. Agriculture: the stagnation of production and its consequences
9. Education and development
10. Post-independence urbanisation and the housing crisis
11. Public health since 1962
12. The growth of employment, income and consumption
13. The new economic policy and its implications
Conclusion
Notes
Index.