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Insiders and Outsiders in Post-Authoritarian Labor Politics in Egypt
Abstract
How has the transition from authoritarian rule affected systems of interest representation in Egypt? Inspired by the literature on Latin American corporatism, this paper examines continuity and change in the structure of interest representation in Egypt following the ouster of an authoritarian regime with a long legacy of state control over workers’ representation. This paper pays particular attention to the way in which this process can create new animosities between competing groups with competing visions for the trajectory of these institutions. In this context, paper will pose three main questions: (1) What is the fate of formerly co-optative organizations following transitions from authoritarian rule?; (2) What is the nature of the struggle over these institutions, especially between new rulers, old entrenched labor elites and new labor groups; (3) What implications does this have for the survival or emergence of new types of labor groups? The post-Mubarak period has witnessed a heightened level of contestation over workers’ representation. Egypt’s new rulers continue to take steps to reconstitute the rules governing state-labor relations. In the process, however, they have clearly alienated both entrenched labor elites as well as new independent groups. In the meantime, many activists have questioned the viability and future role of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation, with some pushing for its reform and others for its disbanding. Independent labor activists, for their part, have continued to establish new organizations and to capitalize on the networks created during the Mubarak era to exchange expertise and build-up their organizational capacities. This paper traces the sources and implications of this struggle, focusing specifically on the way in which existing actors draw boundaries between insiders and outsiders, either through action or discourse. I rely primarily on interviews with labor activists and newspaper accounts. The paper will also analyze the discourse used by Egypt’s new rulers in reference to workers’ mobilization to shed some light on which actions and actors they deem appropriate and which ones they exclude and why. Examining the trajectory of workers’ organizations in Egypt has important policy and theoretical implications. From a policy perspective, it helps shed light on which actors are excluded and which ones are included in the aftermath of a transition from authoritarian rule. From a theoretical standpoint, this paper will shed light on the sources of institutional continuity and change in post-authoritarian politics and on the conditions under which old elites are replaced by new ones.
Discipline
Political Science
Geographic Area
Egypt
Sub Area
None