At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has raised issues of welfare regimes higher up the global agenda, author Ferdinand Eibl discusses his book, Social Dictatorships: The Political Economy of the Welfare State in the Middle East and North Africa. Using mixed methods of study, the book presents an explanation as to why social spending in authoritarian regimes differ and presents case studies of the political origins of the Tunisian and Egyptian welfare state.  Interviewing Ferdinand is IDS Research Fellow, Max Gallien.Ferdinand is Lecturer in Political Economy and programme director of the MA Politics and Economics of the Middle East at King’s College London. Book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/social-dictatorships-9780198834274?q=eibl&lang=en&cc=gb Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.