State Policy, Rent Seeking, and the Electoral Success of a Religious Party in Algeria

The decline of the dominant party, the Front de la Libération Nationale (FLN), in Algeria has been accompanied by the electoral success of a religious party, the Front Islamique du Salut (FIS). The argument developed in this article attributes the success of the FIS to the political economy of dominant party rule in postcolonial Algeria. Rent-seeking coalitions embedded within the FLN constrained the policy options available to the FLN in a fiscal crisis. FLN response to the fiscal crisis, especially changes in the distributive and regulatory policies, led to middle-class exit from the FLN. These groups then extended their support to the FIS. Evidence for middle-class exit from FLN will be provided through an analysis of census data and election returns for 216 communes from the 1990 local elections.