A Mauritian Miracle in the Rearview Mirror: Labour-intensive Industrialization for Sustainable Human Development

The project is about the historical experience and challenge of pursuing labour-intensive industrialization in the case of Mauritius. Currently, there is a growing interest to specifically advocate this type of industrialization as a strategy for achieving sustained economic growth across Africa. In Mauritius, this type of industrialization played an important role in the country’s structural transformation and economic growth miracle from the 1970s to present-day. Nevertheless, it’s less clear whether this success story is so obvious if we analyze it in relation to a criteria of inclusiveness, gender equality in the labour market and social sustainability. My project revisits this ‘economic miracle’ narrative with particular attention on the country’s garment industry and its impacts on labour and gender equality. It also notes that the industrial trajectory has not only impacted labour but that workers themselves have also had a pivotal impact on the trajectory via various forms of agency and worker organization, both on a collective level and on the shop floor, as well as in the household. My thesis is comprised of mixed methods, including field work that was conducted in 2022 and 2023.