The gendered impacts of structural adjustment programs in africa christina gladwin, university of florida, presiding impacts of structural adjustment programs on african women farmers and femaleheaded households jean m. Sacha journal of policy and strategic studies, vol. Imf structural adjustment programs in africa introduction beginning in 1980, the international monetary fund imf started to impose structural adjustment programs sap on african debtor nations. Lessons from structural adjustment programmes and their effects in africa franz heidhues university hohenheim, stuttgart, germany, and gideon obare egerton university, egerton, kenya abstract after independence around 1960, african countries started with high hopes for rapid growth and development. Lessons from structural adjustment programs and their effects in africa article pdf available in quarterly, journal of international agriculture 50. The bank from which a borrowing country receives its loan depends upon the type of necessity. Thus, one of the obvious outcomes of developing nations. The impact of structural adjustment programmes saps on education in kenya isaac. Structural adjustment structural adjustments are the policies implemented by the international monetary fund imf and the world bank the bretton woods institutions in developing countries.
Pdf lessons from structural adjustment programs and. The conventional structural adjustment approach of the 1980s assumed that a certain degree of inequality would boost economic performance and thus drive growth. One reason, for example, that reformers might welcome a commitment technology is to convince private investors that policy change is permanent. Poverty and poverty reduction in subsaharan africa. Agricultural performance in tanzania under structural adjustment programs. Imfs structural adjustment programs weaken states they aim. For almost two decades, countries in subsaharan africa ssa have implemented structuraladjustment programs saps, and at the threshold of a new millennium, africa may be graduating from being a region with lost development decades to becoming the. Chapter 3 structural adjustment and poverty malawi has implemented a series of structural adjustment programmes saps. It describes how saps are being implemented and what results they have produced over the past 20 years. Lessons from structural adjustment programmes and their. Zambia, for example, having abandoned a structural adjustment programme in the wake ofthe riots on.
Lessons from structural adjustment programmes and their effects in africa 57. Mar 01, 2015 konaduagyemang, imf and world bank sponsored structural adjustment programs in africa, 28. Structural adjustment programmes saps or economic recovery programmes erps are similar in their essential components. As a result of a donor conference staged by the world bank in paris on 3rd and 4th december.
Structural adjustment programmes on the african continent. Globalization and structural adjustments in subsaharan africa a new dimension of neocolonialism joe l. Insights from the experiences of ghana and senegal, world development, elsevier, vol. The effects of structural adjustment programs on poverty. For almost two decades, countries in subsaharan africa ssa have implemented structuraladjustment programs saps, and at the threshold of a new millennium, africa may be graduating from being a region with lost development decades to becoming the worlds forgotten continent. However, if onethird of adjustment programs fail and in. Imf economists worried about rising debt in subsaharan africa duration. The major areas of focus in the saps have included the liberalisation of the agricultural sector which centred on price decontrols, market liberalisation, and the repealing of the special crops act, parastatal.
The case study of cote divoire, senegal, uganda, and zimbabwe article pdf available november 2011 with. Box 30l97 nairobi, kenya abstract since the 1980s, kenya has had to undertake macroeconomic adjustment programs under the. Structural adjustment programme food and agriculture. Following the introduction of the structural adjustment programmes saps in most african countries, subsidies on health care were removed and this had serious effects on health care, especially. After independence around 1960, african countries started with high hopes for rapid growth and development. The latter two kinds of operations are concessional for lowincome countries. The structural adjustment programs saps are created with the goal of reducing the borrowing countrys fiscal imbalances. Structural adjustment programs in developing countries. Structural adjustment programs saps consist of loans provided by the international monetary fund imf and the world bank wb to countries that experienced economic crises.
Saps were developed in the early 1980s as a means of gaining stronger. The effects of structural adjustment programs on poverty and income distribution by doris a. Newsrescue below is a brief background of the events that led many countries to accept saps. Reinhold van til, imf under structural adjustment, ghana and uganda experienced a sharp improvement in competitiveness, trade, investment, and economic performance. Structural adjustment in subsaharan africa english abstract. The two bretton woods institutions require borrowing countries to implement certain policies in order to obtain new loans or to lower interest rates on existing ones. Structural adjustment programmes in subsaharan africa econstor. Africa, economic development, agricultural policies. Structural adjustment in zimbabwe 2550 words bartleby.
The case study of cote divoire, senegal, uganda, and zimbabwe 2011. The effects of the structural adjustment program on. For almost two decades, countries in subsaharan africa ssa have implemented structuraladjustment programs saps, and at the threshold. The stabilisation package which addresses monetary and fiscal issues typically attempts to address inflation, reduce the governments budget deficit and balanceof.
Failure of structural adjustment programmes in subsaharan. Editorials from pambazuka news 2004 cape town pambazuka press. In general, adjustment meant liberalising and privatising, although saps were wider in scope in that their developmental aims were. Shortcomings and weaknesses of the structuraladjustment. How the imfworld bank and structural adjustment programsap. Imfs structural adjustment programs weaken states they aim to strengthen. Pdf after independence around 1960, african countries started with high. Did structural adjustment programmes assist african development. Did structural adjustment programmes assist african. A structural adjustment is a loan provided to a country by the international monetary fund, the world bank, or both, in. The impact of the policies advocated by the world bank and the international monetary fund imf in africa are under increased scrutiny. At least some structural adjustment programmes have had negative effects on the quality oflift ofafrican people. How the imfworld bank and structural adjustment program. In general, adjustment meant liberalising and privatising, although saps were wider in scope in that their developmental aims were highly political.
What explains the success or failure of structural. In response, the states attempts to reinvigorate economic growth through stateled investments and import substitution. The leading role of the imf has proven problematic in many ways. The genesis of the structural adjustment programmes. Structural adjustmenta major cause of poverty global issues. Growth focused policies for development and poverty reduction 16.
Pdf the impacts of the world bank and imf structural. The need for fundamental reforms to arrest economic and social decline and to provide a sound basis for promoting sustainable economic growth has been recognized. World bank adjustment lending includes structural adjustment loans, sectoral structural adjustment loans, imf and world bank structural adjustment programs and. In general, adjustment meant liberalising and privatising, although saps were wider in scope in that their.
Imfs structural adjustment programs weaken states they. Structural adjustment in subsaharan africa english the. Whereas the initial performance was remarkable, economic development slowed in the 1970s and stagnated in the 1980s. David reed used nine case studies to research the impacts of such programs in an attempt to understand their effectiveness and impact. Feb 25, 2018 imfs structural adjustment programs weaken states they aim to strengthen. The effects of structural adjustment programs on poverty and. The imf, world bank, and wto kuala lumpur malaysia. Structural adjustment policies and africa a reply to.
The impact of economic structural adjustment programs. The impacts of the world bank and imf structural adjustment. World bank adjustment lending in cludes structural adjustment loans, sectoral structural adjustment loans, imf and world bank structural adjustment programs and. Original article by shantayanan devarajan, structural adjustment programmes worked in africa 2. Impacts of structural adjustment programs on african.
Lessons from structural adjustment programmes and their effects in africa, quarterly journal of international agriculture, humboldtuniversitaat zu berlin, vol. Structural adjustment programmes in subsaharan africa. The effect of structural adjustment programmes on the delivery of veterinary services in africa 3 officially recognized as part of the animal health delivery system. The impact of economic structural adjustment programs esaps. Such a failure rate may undermine the potential usefulness of the instrument. This paper examines the theoretical underpinnings of the saps. Indeed, if africa could leverage its primary commodities to industrialise through value addition and succeed in linking the commodity sector to the rest of the economy, the 21st century could very well be africas. African scholars and international ngos concerned with africas development have asked whether the policies. While the content and policy thrust of these programmes is different, they all have one common element. Structural adjustment is the name given to a set of free market economic policy reforms imposed on developing countries by the bretton woods institutions the world bank and international monetary fund imf as a condition for receipt of loans. The impact of structural adjustment programs saps on the performance of sub saharan africa ssa has been deeply investigated and, despite what the international monetary fund imf and the world bank claimed, adjustment policies have often had a negative impact on the poorest and most vulnerable sections of the regions population. This article also gives a short analysis of the roles of the world bank, the imf and the local political elites in this process.
West africa, where most of the countries have experienced high forest loss and have also embarked upon structural adjustment programs since the early 1980s. The impacts of the world bank and imf structural adjustment programmes on africa. A structural adjustment is a loan provided to a country by the international monetary fund, the world bank, or both, in exchange for structural economic reforms. The policies are designed to tackle the root cause of the problem and provide a framework for long term development and long term growth. Indeed, if africa could leverage its primary commodities to industrialise through value addition and succeed in linking the commodity sector to the rest of the economy, the 21st century could very well be africa s. Structural adjustment definition and criticisms economics. During the past decade, most countries in africa have undertaken structural adjustment programs saps of one form or another. Once independent, broad participation in the formulation and implementation of public policy such as structural adjustment programs saps dwindles, a major weakness across. Structural adjustment in subsaharan africa english. May 26, 2009 structural adjustment programmes have become the main vehicle for the imfs support in africa. The emphasis on sustainable growth implies, however, that adjustment involves medium and. Jan 22, 2020 structural adjustment is a term used to describe the policies requested by the imf in condition for financial aid when dealing with an economic crisis in.
Konaduagyemang, imf and world bank sponsored structural adjustment programs in africa, 28. Lessons from structural adjustment programmes and their effects in africa. Structural adjustment is a term used to describe the policies requested by the imf in condition for financial aid when dealing with an economic crisis in. What explains the success or failure of structural adjustment.
Jan, 2015 to assist african development, structural adjustment programmes saps provided conditional lending thomson, 2010. The case study of cote divoire, senegal, uganda, and zimbabwe article pdf available. Essentially, saps in africa have combined an imf stabilisation loan with conditionalities for a longer term structural adjustment programme overseen by both the wb and the imf. The impact of structural adjustment programmes in africa. Gladwin the structural adjustment programs saps initiated by the international monetary fund imf. Introduction of structural adjustment programs in one way or another was the way of making least developed countries to become dependent instead of independence as seen from all these countries few african countries are independent, this is the evidence of those conditionalities imposed by the imf through structural adjustment programs of 1986. Oberdabernig abstract the focus of this work is to measure the effects of structural adjustment programs saps of the international monetary fund imf on poverty and income distribution. Saps have been imposed on 36 african subsaharan countries under the assumption that neoliberal reforms lead to economic growth and an increased.
Lynn salinger and selina pandolfi associates for international resources and development funded by. In africa an estimated 500,000 more children died from the imposed restructuring of their countries economies to ensure increased flows of money to external banks, while spending on health care declined by 50 per cent and on education by 25 per cent since these structural adjustment programs began. Jan 31, 2012 conditionalities are implemented to ensure that the money lent will be spent in accordance with the overall goals of the loan. Since the early 1980s the majority of countries in subsaharan africa embarked on the implementation of imfworld bank designed structural adjustment programmes saps.
The latter term became more current in the aftermath ofgrowing popular resistance to the implementation of the former. Pdf lessons from structural adjustment programs and their. While giving partial evidence of individual incentives, the aforementioned study shows that great inequality actually inhibits growth. May 11, 2012 kingston, kato gogo, the impacts of the world bank and imf structural adjustment programmes on africa. World bank structural adjustment programs, and presents a conceptual framework linking them to health systems and outcomes. They propagate exportoriented growth, free markets, less state. To assist african development, structural adjustment programmes saps provided conditional lending thomson, 2010. Kingston, kato gogo, the impacts of the world bank and imf structural adjustment programmes on africa. According to opev programme performance evaluation reports, they are all. Particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, when many structuraladjustment programmes were drafted, the fund and its macroeconomically trained experts took over the. Professor, department of anthropology, university of new hampshire introduction the concept of globalization is not more than twenty years old, but the social, economic, political, and. Structural adjustment programs attempt to correct economic imbalances and improve efficiency of developing and transitional economies, thereby setting the state for further development. The impact of structural adjustment programmes saps on.