THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DEEP STATE AND DEMOCRATIC TRANSFORMATION: THE CASE STUDY OF JORDAN

Abstract

This study tackles the concept of the deep state, its characteristics, and its objectives and aims to establish a quantitative scientific scale to measure the indicators of the deep state and democratization in Jordan during the period 2010–2020. The study uses a combination of quantitative and analytical approaches, and its novelty stems from the fact that it adds new knowledge to the existing literature about the deep state. Also, the article is novel as it aims to establish a quantitative scientific scale to measure deep state indicators and apply it to Jordan as a case study, which is unique among pieces of related literature. Thus, the study concludes that economic indicators are the most important deep state indicators, followed by political indicators, then military indicators, and finally indicators of dependence on the outside world. The study shows that the deep economic powers of the state benefit from the privatization of state institutions, which helps stabilize and strengthen their interests. Meanwhile, the political indicators show that the Jordanian political system monopolizes political power. This paper furthermore shows that in Jordan, there has been an increase in corruption indicators, a high rate of human rights violations, and a perception by the society that the state is being targeted from the outside, all of which have increased the political powers of the deep state in Jordan. In addition, indicators of financial dependency on foreign aid have contributed to preserving the deep state, which has been seizing part of these aids and loans. Finally, the military indicators show an increase in military spending, which established the pillar of military forces in the deep state. Keywords: Deep State, Economic Indicators, Political Indicators, Military Indicators, Democratic Transformation DOI： https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.0258-2724.58.2.35