Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study analyzes the relationship between the oil industries, the state,
social and economic performance, and radicalism in Egypt and Nigeria. Information
from a database, created for this study, of Financial Times articles relevant to the study,
social and economic indicators taken from the World Bank World Development
Indicators, and predicted Gini coefficients from a newly created database is used in order
to examine the relationship between the variables in question. They are then compared
against the social and economic indicators of Ghana and Tunisia in order to attempt to
control for general trends in Africa. The study finds a definite link between all of the
variables in question in the case of Nigeria. In the case of Egypt the role of the oil
industry in the rise of radicalism is unclear, while the link between the state, social and
economic indicators, and radicalism is found to be strong. The theoretical model
proposed in this study is supported by the evidence found in this study, except for a
suggestion that there are two levels of social inequality at which radicalism is likely to
rise. This study also provides evidence for theories relevant to the topic focused on in
this paper.