Algeria and the Washington consensus: Debtor-creditor relation re-examined

Algeria’s experience with liberal economic reforms occurred while the country faced its worst crisis due to the civil conflict between the army and Islamist insurgents. The study of Algeria’s debt relief process, from loan negotiation to the implementation of adjustment packages, is key to understand how the aid received enabled the Algerian authorities to survive the crisis and renew their patronage networks. Focusing on Algerian relation with International Financial Institutions, this paper provides a political analysis of this process. As a result, the creditors’ favour for stabilisation and their political priorities emerge as factors that increased the leverages of the Algerian authorities.