Abstract
Anne Marie Baylouny's work covers the emergence and implications of unique civil society organisations in the Middle East created by the demand of the middle class for collective insurance once welfare services were dropped by the state after liberalisation. Kin mutual aid associations are creating networks and alignments among smaller groups in society formed around selective solidarities rather than citizenship or national identity. Recreating heritage identities with new institutional formations, these organisations factor in the social, political and economic situation of the middle class.
Kin associations provide welfare services for the middle class associated with life-cycle events, economic risk and employment opportunities in the absence of conventional alternatives. These are not charities, given that their services do not usually serve basic humanitarian needs. Instead, mutual aid associations pool resources from members creating collective insurance and economic opportunities in the absence of state services or membership of professional associations.
Baylouny combines methods in her approach. She uses data gathered from interviews and surveys with kin association members in addition to other knowledgeable sources, obtained during two fieldwork trips to achieve unique in-depth knowledge. She also utilises primary and secondary data to support her independent sources. Although Lebanon and Jordan are the two cases observed, Baylouny's work covers the emerging trend of kin associations and the privatisation of welfare as a global phenomenon in her theoretical approach and review of the literature.
The case selection presents two questions. First is whether Lebanon and Jordan are representative or too unique to carry significance for the population of Middle Eastern countries. Second, given that Jordan and Lebanon maintain diverse populations with historically different relationships to the state, how would kin associations differ in Middle Eastern countries with more homogeneous populations? Despite these questions, Baylouny's results not only highlight the correlation between the rise of kinship association and economic liberalisation, but also provide a strong and convincing argument for a clear causal relationship.
Although the topic is relevant in the fields of political economy, sociology, anthropology and area studies, any reader would require only limited experience in any of these disciplines to gain insight from this work. The book maintains a flow with topics organised into chapters with a clear purpose which support the main arguments. Given the book's accessibility and subject, it is a useful read for policy makers and professionals in the international development industry, as well as scholars and students with similar research areas.