| Abstract
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This thesis will analyze the use of corporatist policies in Syria, more specifically, the significance of these policies in ensuring the survival of the Syrian authoritarian regime. The case of Syria is important, as it is minority-based and authoritarian in an era of democratization. The regime has faced numerous challenges; however, it managed to adapt itself to new circumstances and remain relatively stable. Most of the existing literature on Syria has focused on other aspects of the regime, such as ethnic relations or class divisions. As a result, a gap exists in the body of literature on Syria. The analysis of importance of corporatist policies in regime survival will be achieved by using a combination of state-centred theory and corporatist theory, focusing on the issue of state autonomy and state-society relations. Having analyzed the role of popular organisations in Syria, with a special focus on the two case studies of the General Federation of Peasants, and the General Federation of Trade Unions, this thesis will argue that inclusionary corporatist policies have played an important role, in linking the state to the society and mobilizing the Syrian people's support for the Ba'th regime. Moreover, these policies have also allowed a selective involvement of key groups into decision-making processes without actually democratizing the system. Thus, the broad question for this thesis is: What are the main factors that have contributed to the survival of the Syrian regime? With respect to this broader question, the thesis will focus on the role of corporatism in sustaining the Ba'thist authoritarian regime in Syria. Consequently, the main question of this thesis is: To what extent has corporatism contributed to the survival of the Syrian regime? The hypothesis of this thesis, then, is: Corporatism has contributed considerably to the survival of the Syrian regime .
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