Structural Adjustment

Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) are an important feature of contemporary development, yet they are often evaluated in the terms set out by lenders themselves, ignoring the wider implications of SAPs.

Structural Adjustment attempts to situate SAPs in a wider development context featuring case material from the UK, USA, Ghana, Mexico, India, Jamaica, Turkey, Eastern Europe, Mali, Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone, the book addresses SAPs in the lenders' terms, before addressing macro-economic issues, the impacts on social groups, and the impact upon welfare policies such as education and health. Beyond economic analysis, the role of the state in the process, the impact of these programmes on services and the environment are also analysed.