In her analysis of Algeria's oil and industrial policy since independence, Algerian economist Tin Hinane El Kadi questions the dominant discourses and underlines the crucial influence of politics on economic development. While significant efforts were made to diversify the economy in Algeria after 1962, the period since 1988 has been characterised by clientelism and a diluted commitment to structural change. El Kadi attributes the failure of the State to encourage private capital during these two periods to the political and ideological constraints which hampered the diversification of exports.