The “ socialist revolution ” in the Seychelles : continuities and discontinuities in economic and social policies 1

After the “socialist revolution” in 1977, the Seychelles introduced a universal social pension, free education and free health care. This path of the Seychelles to universal social policies is unique in several regards. On the one hand, the policies were financed by economic growth triggered by a non-dogmatic economic policy that focused on three partly state-led, partly privately driven key sectors. Especially important were services (tourism, finance) that replaced the colonial plantation economy. On the other hand, the country also successfully navigated the Cold War by attracting capitalist development aid to finance “socialist” policies. Finally, social policies contributed to a relatively high standard of living and persisted throughout economic and political liberalisation.