Debt, Development, and Equity in Africa

This book assesses the impact of the African debt crisis on poverty. The author studies the relationship between debt and socio-economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, Sonko analyzes the impact of debt-induced expenditure adjustments, including budgetary retrenchment in an African economy undergoing structural adjustment. Sustainable, self-reliant development, debt relief, and the redesign of structural adjustment programs to make them less controversial and more effective in Africa are required. The overall analysis is conducted with a view to what the author refers to as the "state of global interconnectedness," implying the need for global economic policy coordination and assistance in finding solutions to Africa's development problems. Contents: The Debt Burden: Trends, Causes and Comparative Analysis; Debt and Development; Debt, Adjustment and Equity; Structural Adjustment Programs: Criticisms, Evolution and Forms for the 1990s; The African Debt Crisis: What Can and Should be Done? Summary and Concluding Remarks; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.