ABSTRACT
It has almost become part of economic and administrative orthodoxy to speak of a receding state: for seemingly good reasons. The 1990s were filled with talk of large-scale privatizations, de-regulation and liberalization, while developing countries, in particular, opened up to international firms which necessitated the denouncement of ‘nationalist’ policies and protectionism. This trend not only seems to be tangible, but also logicalcontrary to some of the other trends discussed in earlier chapters.
