ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the foreign policy-making process in Mauritius and suggests that in the pursuit of macroeconomic growth and development, the successive governments of Mauritius have, largely failed to facilitate the successful political and economic integration of many Mauritians. Fabian socialism was a prominent doctrine of Mauritius' first Prime Minister, Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, and it guided both domestic and foreign policy. The chapter contradicts various analyses of economic development in Mauritius, especially those emphasizing the presence of economic liberalism and efficient political institutions on the island. The foreign-policy making process in Mauritius is profoundly influenced by the country's diverse population. The economic imperative of the Mauritian state can also be perceived in its cultivation of foreign partnerships with countries in the southern African and south west Indian Ocean region. The chapter argues that the Mauritian state has invested greatly in its potential for economic growth.
