Does Oil Hinder State Building? Parastatal Organizations and The Civil Sphere In Iraq

• In Event: 261 - Section on Political Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 07. Dynamics of Democratization

Abstract

Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, democratization, or lack thereof, remains a central issue to the political and social stability in both the country and the region. In this paper, I argue for the central role oil rent plays in shaping civil society and statecraft in post-war Iraq. This research has two aims: first, to highlight the role of oil in hindering the survival of the state in Iraq, and the rising of parastatal alternative forms of governing. Second, to highlight the interaction between these parastatal formations, the civil sphere, and the “state”, and how this interaction hinders the establishment of democracy. This study will contribute to the literature in the following ways: First, it will fill the existing gap in research regarding the role of oil rent in undermining the political institution in Iraq. Second, it will address the rise of the tribal and religious groups as an alternative form of governing. Third, it will contribute to the literature of political economy by suggesting that rent does not only hinder democracy, or create civil conflict, but it hinders the formation of a traditional political institution. Finally, this research will provide us with a framework to understand political formations in other rentier states, through having a better understanding of the dynamics by which oil destroys the political process. To establish this argument, I will be conducting one-on-one structured and semi-structured interviews, through Skype, with 60 activists, religious, political, and tribal leaders in Iraq, throughout the year of 2016.

Author

• Zeinab F. Shuker, University of California, Riverside