Rent, debt, and reform: Deciphering the social protests in Jordan [La rente, la dette et la réforme : décryptage de la contestation sociale en Jordanie]

In 2018, the announcement of a new income tax reform triggered protests of an unprecedented scale in Jordan. These protests challenged the state's direction on economic policy. It is now thirty years ago that reforms were introduced in order to combat public debt and to mark the advent of a new "post-rentier social contract." Through agreements with the IMF, these policies led to major economic transformations, without however reducing the country's dependence on foreign financing. They also resulted in the gradual erosion of the social safety net and the impoverishment of the population. This article proposes to introduce the terms of the debate raised by this new debt crisis.