Examining the Success of Mauritius

This paper traces the economic development of Mauritius since independence in 1968 and stresses the important role played by such institutions as the European Economic Community (now the European Union), the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in the development process of this small island state in the Indian Ocean. However, with important changes occurring on a global scale, particularly in connection with the GATT and the Multi-Fibre Agreement, new policy challenges will have to be faced by Mauritius and are discussed in the paper.

Government interventionism is widely acknowledged to characterize less-developed countries, but consensus is lacking as to whether it promotes economic development, and if so, how. This paper analyzes the nature of government involvement in the Mauritius model of economic development, and the emergence of a developmental state closely associated with this model. The paper argues that the Mauritian growth miracle is as a result of a proactive governmental engineering where government contributed to development success which goes in sharp contrast with other Sub-Saharan African countries where government failed to play a strong developmental role.

This paper seeks to explain the concept and construct of colonialism and maps the factors that led to the emergence of colonialism through the case study of Mauritius which had faced Dutch, French and British colonialists. It demonstrates British colonialism, established French influence over culture and society and British attitudes to different sections of the Mauritian society. The development of Mauritian society was by and large a colonial establishment. The economy, society, the polity, the very flora and fauna of the island are all direct results of colonial history (Houbert, 1981). Therefore, there have been attempts to study and analyze the differences in the British colonial policies adopted in Mauritius and their general colonial approach of the British with reference to their other colonies. The inhabitants are descendants of the ones who willingly or unwillingly settled in Mauritius.

1992

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Mauritius had problems of low economic growth, high unemployment and balance of payments deficits. By the late 1980s it had overcome these problems, attained a high level of economic growth and graduated to the World Bank list of middle income countries. The growth of the economy was closely related to the growth of exports. This thesis discusses the development strategies and policies adopted by the government over the last two decades. In the middle of the 1960s, the government adopted an import-substitution strategy to diversify the mono-culture sugar economy by entering manufacturing. This strategy failed to stimulate employment, reduce balance of payments deficits or to improve overall economic growth. In the early 1970s the government began to encourage exports of manufactures to overcome its difficulties. Mauritius then successfully developed labour-intensive, export-oriented manufacturing and tourism. This study identifies the major macro and mi...

2010

It is unlikely that anyone reading this article can say that they have not been affected in some way by past colonial activity. Whether through diasporas, interaction with new cultural attitudes or the exposure of our taste buds to new foods, one thing is certain: no one remains unaffected. However, for some, the colonial experience is one that is very present in day-to-day life. This article examines Mauritius, an island ‘created’ in its modern guise by colonialism. It juxtaposes the colonial legacies of Europe with the ideals of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, former Prime Minister of Mauritius and unequivocal père de la nation, as laid out in his (co-authored) book Our Struggle (1992). The book outlines the ‘epic struggle’ of a colonial island, under British rule, to achieve a peaceful transition to independence. For an island foreshadowed by doom in the years following independence, how has ‘islandness’ and isolation helped it to become a rare economic success story? By finding an eq...

Journal of Economic Policy Reform, 2009

As a sub‐Saharan country, Mauritius has been branded a success story in terms of its sustained economic growth performance, with major improvements in the living standards of its population at large over the past few decades. This paper has the objectives of revisiting this success story, essentially by analyzing the numerous policies that have been adopted, to provide insights into Africa’s policy options. The Mauritian case study demonstrates that no single dose of economic reforms may generate growth dividends to perpetuity, especially when the current economic environment differs from initial conditions.

The paper will explain the multi-dimension of ethnic groups and their importance in Mauritius. It will also go through the different ethnic conflicts and riots over the past years up to now. We will also have a deeper analysis of why these problem arose and how policies, acts, movements and organisation have been implemented to ease the different religion/ ethnic group.

2013

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1988