Thesis (MA (Political Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since the advent of independence in 1968, Mauritius’ economic trajectory evolved
from the one of a monocrop sugar economy, with the latter noticeably being the backbone of
the country’s economy, to one that progressed into being the custodian of a dynamic and
sophisticated garment-dominated manufacturing industry. Condemned with the misfortune
of not being endowed with natural resources, relative to her mainland African counterparts,
Mauritius, nonetheless, was able to break the shackles of limited economic options and one of
being the ‘basket-case’ to gradually evolving into being the upper-middle-income country -
thus depicting it to be one of the most encouraging economies within the developing world.
Indeed it is captivating that the fruits of the island’s prosperous sugar industry went a long
way in meeting the island’s diversification agenda. Moreover, the ‘Mauritian miracle’ is
glorified by the emergence and sustenance of a comprehensive welfare state which was able
to withstand the harshest economic challenges the country ever faced.
This thesis seeks to provide a broad historical over-view of the factors which aided
the construction of the social democratic regime in Mauritius. It is of the premise that the
social consciousness of the post-colonial leadership in Mauritius laid the foundation for the
entrenchment of ideals of social justice into the Mauritian polity. Instead of letting market
forces operate in their pure form, the state was propelled instead, to take the driver’s seat into
the running of the economy so as to ensure the market and labour become partners in a bid to
help the state meet its social development ideals. It is no wonder that current day welfare
state in Mauritius is the one which is inextricably linked to elections, not just as tool to duck
socio-ethnic disharmony. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sedert onafhanklikheidswording in 1968 het Mauritius se ekonomiese ontwikkeling
gevorder van die van ’n enkel kommoditeit suiker uitvoerder as die basis van die ekonomie
tot een met ’n dinamiese en gesofistikeerde tekstiel vervaardigingingssektor. Verdoem weens
’n tekort aan natuurlike hulpbronne in vergelyking met ander state in Afrika, het Mauritius
nogtans daarin geslaag om sy tekortkominge te bowe te kom en geleidelik te ontwikkel tot ’n
opper-middel inkomste staat. Suiker uitvoere het inderdaad ’n sleutelrol gespeel in die
diversifikasie van die ekonomie. Die sukses van die ‘Mauritius wonderwerk’ is verder
stukrag gegee deur die inwerkingstelling en voortbestaan van ’n omvattende welvaart staat
wat gehelp het om die ergste ekonomiese uitdagings die hoof te bied.
Hierdie tesis poog om ’n breë historiese oorsig te bied van die faktore wat die
konstruksie van ’n sosiale demokratiese orde in Mauritius aangehelp het. Daar word gewerk
van die premis dat die sosiale bewussyn van die na-koloniale leierskap in Mauritius die
grondleggers was vir die vestiging van ideale van sosiale geregtigheid in die staat se politieke
kultuur. In plaas van ’n ongebreidelde vrye mark ekonomie het die staat egter ’n sleutel
rigtinggewende rol in die ontwikkeling van die ekonomie gespeel en om seker te maak dat
die privaatsektor en arbeid vennote word om sleutel sosiale ekonomiese doelwitte te bereik.
Dit is dus geen wonder dat die bestaande welvaartstaat in Mauritius nou verweef is met
plaaslike verkiesingsverwagtinge nie en nie bloot ’n manier is om sosio-etniese onstabiliteit
te verminder nie.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/4123 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Phaahla, Letuku Elias |
| Contributors | Van der Westhuizen, Janis, University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Political Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xiv, 179 p. : ill. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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