The Dilemma of Authoritarian Local Governance in Egypt

Hani Awad explores the decentralisation strategies employed under three regimes in Egypt to upgrade the local governance system without giving up power or democratising local governments. He traces the rise and influence of Islamist challenges to loyalist networks and explains how the efficacy of Islamist mobilisation influenced the region's response to the Egyptian Revolution in 2011.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2022
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

The authoritarian upgrading process in Egypt has played a pivotal role in enabling the regime to exert greater dominance in local politics and enhance its political control. While these strategies have demonstrated some effectiveness in consolidating the regime's hold, they have failed to address the inherent weakness of system mobilisation functions, which reflects the authoritarian dilemma of bridging the national and the local. In order to overcome this challenge, Hani Awad, through extensive fieldwork, delves into the formal and informal decentralisation strategies employed under three regimes (Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak) to upgrade the Egyptian system of local governance without relinquishing power or democratising local governments.

Awad's research reveals the rise and growing influence of Islamist challenges to loyalist networks, shedding light on how the efficacy of Islamist mobilisation over the past two decades has shaped the region's response to the events of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. By examining the dynamics of power relations at the local level, Awad provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between authoritarianism, decentralisation, and political mobilisation in Egypt.

The authoritarian upgrading process in Egypt has facilitated the regime's ability to assert greater dominance in local politics and enhance its political control. However, its strategies have fallen short in addressing the inherent weakness of system mobilisation functions, which reflects the authoritarian dilemma of bridging the national and the local. To overcome this challenge, Hani Awad, through extensive fieldwork, explores the formal and informal decentralisation strategies employed under three regimes (Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak) to upgrade the Egyptian system of local governance without relinquishing power or democratising local governments.

Awad's research unveils the rise and growing influence of Islamist challenges to loyalist networks, shedding light on how the efficacy of Islamist mobilisation over the past two decades has shaped the region's response to the events of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. By examining the dynamics of power relations at the local level, Awad provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between authoritarianism, decentralisation, and political mobilisation in Egypt.

The authoritarian upgrading process in Egypt has played a crucial role in enabling the regime to exert greater dominance in local politics and enhance its political control. While these strategies have demonstrated some effectiveness in consolidating the regime's hold, they have failed to address the inherent weakness of system mobilisation functions, which reflects the authoritarian dilemma of bridging the national and the local. In order to overcome this challenge, Hani Awad, through extensive fieldwork, delves into the formal and informal decentralisation strategies employed under three regimes (Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak) to upgrade the Egyptian system of local governance without relinquishing power or democratising local governments.

Awad's research reveals the rise and growing influence of Islamist challenges to loyalist networks, shedding light on how the efficacy of Islamist mobilisation over the past two decades has shaped the region's response to the events of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. By examining the dynamics of power relations at the local level, Awad provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between authoritarianism, decentralisation, and political mobilisation in Egypt.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399502535