Forging a Developmental State: Bureaucratic Autonomy and Economic Transformation in Mauritius

This paper uncovers the nodal agency and the overall bureaucratic structure in the Mauritian Developmental State that facilitated the economic transformation in the postcolonial era. It highlights the critical role of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development (MEPD) as the nodal agency at the apex of the bureaucratic hierarchy through the pblication of national plans. Moreover, the paper sheds novel insights about the dual-layered bureaucratic that assists the evolution of economic pillars in Mauritius. This paper provides unique emperical insights on the establishment of the DS paradigm in Mauritius and contributes theoretically to the literature on African developmental states by highlighting the significance of structural roles within the state apparatus. The research offers lessons for state-led policies, economic transformation and industrialisation in the context of postcolonial African states