From the current perspective, the result of Egypt's transition from a constitutional monarchy to a democratic socialist state can best be seen as a system of trade-offs and delicate balances. In the three decades following the revolution of 1952, political and economic policies have led to a vast increase in public services and a similarly vast increase in top-heavy governmental administration. For the average citizen, each governmentally induced "improvement" in quality of life can be seen, at least statistically, to be accompanied by a negative effect. Even religious practice is counterbalanced by political agenda. This paper will examine the interlinked relationship among political, social, and economic forces in contemporary Egypt.
The constitution of 1971, with minor modification in
1980, declares Egypt to be a "democratic socialist
state," with direct control over agricultural prices, rent,
trade, foreign travel, corporate administration, production,
distribution, and a variety of public policies. Particularly in the programs of public health and education, such governmental control has had definite positive effects on quality of life, despite the fact that the programs are administered through "bloated and grossly inefficient state industries, venal bureaucracy, and overburdened services."
These improvements in health and education are undeniable. Since the 1960s, steadily increasing expenditures on public health programs have resulted in higher average life expectancies and an overall increase in population. Additionally, preventive medicine, vaccination against smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, and polio, enforced for all infants during their first two years, have reduced those diseases and virtually eliminated epidemics of malaria. Similarly, educational progress has greatly accelerated for both men and women. The number of educational institutions and graduates has grown markedly.
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