Structural adjustment
Poverty in South Asia 2003: civil society perspectives
Report criticises international financial treatment of South Asia
Authors:
K. Achary
Publisher:
South Asia Alliance for Poverty Alleviation , 2003
This report examines poverty in South Asia, and examines case studies in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The authors are highly critical of drastic income inequalities in South Asia, and claim that globalisation has generally further increased poverty in the region. The authors also propose extensive criticisms of World Bank and IMF fiscal policies in South Asia, arguing that international fiscal policies have caused a decrease in average incomes in South Asia.
The authors' specific claims include:
- policies such as structural adjustment (SAPs), enhanced structural adjustment (ESAPs), and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) have all done more harm than good to the South Asian economy
- these policies have resulted in a diversion of public resources away from health and education spending
- major agricultural reforms are needed for sustainable growth, and to counteract the ill effects of past colonial rule and SAPs
- extensive land reform is necessary to address income inequalities throughout the region
- structural adjustment policies and globalisation have had detrimental impacts on agriculture
- membership in the WTO and agreements like TRIPS have brought more problems as benefits to South Asian economies
- international debt is crippling to South Asian economies
- in spite of the United Nations Conference on Women, women still face pronounced gender discrimination in South Asia
- the human rights situation in South Asia is dismal
- despite land capacity, food security is still a major issue in South Asia.
The authors examine each of these issues in turn, and alternatives for addressing them, examining country case studies in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
