THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF ALGERIA AFTER 1990 IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL UNREST, TERRORIST ATTACKS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESTRICTIVENESS

Abstract

After the conquest of independence, Algeria experienced major socio-economic changes, but it also faced a civil war that has been responsible for more than 150,000 casualties. Despite the efforts made by the auhorities in the direction of national reconciliation, the terrorist activities, like the one of January 2013, still feed the insecurity feeling. In its economic and social development, Algeria depends to a very large extent both on its oil fields and on the oil price on the world markets. Large public projects were started in economy, education, health, and transport infrastructure, with the revenues generated by oil and natural gas. However, the development efforts are influenced by the environmental restrictiveness, as the country is mostly a desert and water resources are scarce. Moreover, after the independence the population increased rapidly, exceeding the capacity of the state to provide enough jobs, which explains why unemployment is currently so high among young people.

Keywords

• socio-economic development
• hydrocarbons
• terrorist attacks