ABSTRACT
In this chapter we investigate the factors that have led to the persistence of autocracy in Syria since at least 1949, when political instability provided the stage for a series of coups d’état that ended when the late Hafez Assad assumed power in 1971 through a bloodless coup. The autocratic regime he established survived his death in 2000 and has continued under the regime of his son, President Bashar Assad. In parallel, Syria has followed a state-led economic development model. While it has achieved a notable overall rate of economic growth and rising living standards, its national economy has been marred by significant inefficiencies and periods of stagnation, despite occasional cosmetic attempts at economic reforms. Indeed, Syria’s economic landscape is a mirror image of its political reality: highly centralized and dirigiste.
