This thesis examines the role of International Monetary Fund (IMF)-led Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) in the economic and political landscape of Egypt leading up to the Arab Spring. By...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of International Monetary Fund (IMF)-led Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) in the economic and political landscape of Egypt leading up to the Arab Spring. By integrating a Marxist perspective with third-wave revolutionary theory, the study explores how these programs influenced the emergence of crony capitalism and affected civil-military relations in Egypt. Through a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analysis, the research investigates the IMF’s impact on Egypt's macroeconomic and socioeconomic indicators. The findings suggest that while SAPs initially addressed macroeconomic imbalances, they failed to foster sustainable and inclusive growth, exacerbating poverty and unemployment. Moreover, the IMF's oversight of the emergence of crony capitalism contributed to political instability, which played a critical part in the uprisings against the Mubarak regime.Show less
This thesis explores the phenomena of cronyism in the Russian Federation. The structure of the thesis is the following: Introduction which defines the goals and objectives of the paper; Literature...Show moreThis thesis explores the phenomena of cronyism in the Russian Federation. The structure of the thesis is the following: Introduction which defines the goals and objectives of the paper; Literature Review which reviews existent scholarly articles on cronyism and cronyism in Russia; Three chapters that examine one of the prominent Russian billionaires, his connections to high ranked government officials and his alleged involvement in cronyistic exchanges; Conclusion with outlined findings and connection to the wider challenges that the world is facing. With the use of the existent theoretical framework on cronyism and triangulation of the available journalistic material, this thesis concludes that it is highly likely that cronyistic exchanges take place in Russia at the highest levels of the executive and legislative branches of the government. Coming to this conclusion is important because it reveals that the actions of the Russian government might not always be motivated by national interests but rather by the interests of certain individuals.Show less