Applying the Strategic Relational Approach to African States: A Case of Mauritius and Trade Policymaking

The document critiques the use of neopatrimonialism to explain African states and proposes the Strategic Relational Approach (SRA) as a more nuanced lens. Applying this to Mauritius, the author describes a 'deliberative democratic developmental state' where trade policy is an outcome of interaction between government, the private sector, and civil society. This collaborative framework, managed by the Trade Policy Unit and the Joint Public Private Sector Committee on International Trade Issues, allows Mauritius to align domestic interests with its positions at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The paper concludes with lessons for other African states on balancing domestic constituencies and including disadvantaged groups in policymaking.

• The author argues that the concept of neopatrimonialism is an inadequate lens for analyzing trade policymaking in Africa because it focuses on the personal interests of political elites and the 'causal primacy of agency over structure', ignoring the complex relationships between the state, society, and various non-state actors.
• The Strategic Relational Approach (SRA) treats the state as a 'social construct' and an 'uneven playing field' where structures and agents are mutually constitutive, meaning the state is strategically selective and privileges certain actors and strategies over others.
• Mauritius is characterized as a 'deliberative democratic developmental state' that avoids neopatrimonial governance through a long history of collaboration between the government and the private sector in formulating trade policy.
• Mauritian trade policy is not the sole prerogative of political leaders but is a political output derived from deliberation among policymakers, negotiators, diplomats, civil-society, and business representatives.
• The Trade Policy Unit (TPU) and the Joint Public Private Sector Committee on International Trade Issues (JPPSCITI) provide the institutional framework for Mauritius to develop inclusive negotiating positions for the WTO and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), specifically focusing on balancing offensive and defensive interests.
• Despite its overall success, the Mauritian trade policymaking process is uneven and lacks transparency, often marginalizing small communities, peasant farmers, and informal traders in favor of the sugar, manufacturing, and services sectors.
• The paper suggests three lessons for other African states: the need for leaders to balance the economic interests of diverse domestic constituencies, the importance of including disadvantaged groups like informal traders in consultative processes, and the necessity of implementing agreed-upon decisions to ensure economic development.

APA

Zhuawu, C. (2013). Applying the Strategic Relational Approach to African States: A Case of Mauritius and Trade Policymaking. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Occasional-Paper-147.pdf

Chicago

Zhuawu, Collin. Applying the Strategic Relational Approach to African States: A Case of Mauritius and Trade Policymaking. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Occasional-Paper-147.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zhuawu |first1=Collin |title=Applying the Strategic Relational Approach to African States: A Case of Mauritius and Trade Policymaking |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=May 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Occasional-Paper-147.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zhuawu2013applying, author = {Zhuawu, Collin}, title = {{Applying the Strategic Relational Approach to African States: A Case of Mauritius and Trade Policymaking}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Occasional-Paper-147.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }