Economic Reforms and the People Sector

1998 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-82
Author(s):  
Ela R Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Structural Adjustment ◽  
Economic Reforms ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Adjustment Programme ◽  
Structural Adjustment Programme ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The People ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Considerable Discussion

In recent years⁄ there has been considerable discussion in India on Structural Adjustment Programme and its impact on the economy. However⁄ the moot question is whether restructuring efforts have benefited the ‘people sector’ that includes the workers who are informal⁄ unorganized, and selfemployed. Based on years of experience with SEWA, Ela Bhatt argues that most economic policies including the recent economic reforms have largely benefited the large corporate bodies and have completely ignored the poor and the women. According to her⁄ it is possible to benefit from the reforms if the focus of economic reforms is shifted to the micro level.

The story of structural adjustment programme in nigeria from the perspective of the organized labour

2012 ◽  
Vol 01 (07) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
Nwagbara, eucharia nwabugo
Keyword(s):  
Interest Groups ◽  
Structural Adjustment ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Adjustment Programme ◽  
Structural Adjustment Programme ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social

The process of achieving the set objectives of structural adjustment programme (SAP) produced adverse social effects that put to question the sincerity of purpose of the SAP policy designers and implementers. To be able to generate conclusions concerning how the politics of enhancing the “well-being” of the people via SAP played out in the Nigerian society, in terms of how well the programme served the intended purpose, questions have to be asked, and responses elicited. Earlier attempts at appraising the SAP were geared toward examining the successes or failures of the adjusting countries in implementing the policies. Such appraisal gave rise to concern on the issue of good governance as a necessary and inevitable prerequisite of effective economic reform. At the same time, not much effort was made at ascertaining the social fallouts of the entire reform process. Even when the outburst of public outcry within the adjusting countries necessitated the recognition of the importance of the social dimension of SAP, little effort was made at understanding the problem from the perspective of the aggrieved populace. What we see is a proliferation of World Bank sponsored studies on the issue that hardly take cognizance of the people’s feelings. Thus the findings of such studies cannot be said to be representative of the views of all the stakeholders. This paper attempts to fill this gap by examining organized labour’s/interest groups’ response to SAP from the lens of the public sector workers and why they reacted the way they did toward the entire process. A sample of 357 respondents was randomly selected from university teachers, students and other public servants within Calabar metropolis. The findings, which were described in simple percentages, show significant relationship between economic hardship, repressive attitude of government, political uncertainty and interest groups’ protests against SAP. The author recommends the provision of adequate safety nets whenever stringent policies are to be introduced so as to cushion the adverse effect on the people; utilization of the collective bargaining tool by the parties in industrial relations as well as the implementation of SAP with ‘a human face’, among others.

scholarly journals Le mythe d'un leadership nigérian dans les relations inter-africaines

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-368
Author(s):  
Emeka Nwokedi
Keyword(s):  
Economic Integration ◽  
Structural Adjustment ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Regional Economic Integration ◽  
Regional Economic ◽  
Adjustment Programme ◽  
Structural Adjustment Programme ◽  
Conflict Mediation

Nigeria's leadership role in inter-African relations remains a myth despite the country's assertiveness in the areas of liberation, conflict mediation and regional economic integration. Rhetoric and posturing in inter-African diplomacy have become a substitute for reality. Furthermore, the weakness of the Nigerian domestic structure and the effects of the structural adjustment programme negate Nigerians capabilities to exert a leadership in inter-African diplomacy.

Macro/Micro Dynamics in South Africa: Why the Reconciliation Process Will Not Reduce Violence

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingie Hovland
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Truth Commissions ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
The People ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Reconciliation Process

The reconciliation process in South Africa has been hailed as an astounding example of a non-violent transition to democracy, and its Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has subsequently served as the starting point for reflections on reconciliation, transitional justice and the possibility of truth commissions in other countries. This article suggests that it is necessary to examine South Africa's reconciliation process more critically, focusing on why it has not brought about a reduction in the high levels of violence. It is argued that the reconciliation process has failed in this respect - despite good intentions - because it has not managed to transform the macro/micro dynamic in South Africa, i.e. the interaction between macro-level divisions and micro-level tensions which have fed off each other throughout South Africa's history. Macro-level violence has included - and still includes - economic policies that generate wealth for a minority while perpetuating the production of poverty for the majority. Micro-level violence includes extremely high levels of violent incidents at an interpersonal and local level. The use of the concept ‘reconciliation’ in post-apartheid South Africa may in certain respects have served as opium for the people - opium that has enabled continued accommodation of the interaction between macro and micro-level violence in the country.

The Structural Adjustment Programme and the Elderly in Nigeria

1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Ekpenyong
Keyword(s):  
Structural Adjustment ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Adjustment Programme ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Structural Adjustment Programme ◽  
Economic Transformations ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

The article analyzes the impact of recent economic changes accompanying the introduction of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and ongoing cultural styles on the aged in Nigeria. It argues that during the one decade preceding the introduction of SAP in 1986, Nigeria experienced significant social and economic transformations made possible by the rise in oil prices in the 1970s. The introduction of SAP has also been accompanied by significant social, cultural, and economic changes. Here the effects of these changes on the situation of the elderly in Nigeria are examined using data pooled from observations and surveys in both the pre- and post-SAP years. Findings reveal that compared to the younger generations, the relative position of the elderly has not changed significantly, although the latter's position has deteriorated on dimensions such as access to economic and health resources. Regional and individual differentials in the situation of old people are significant during both the pre- and post-SAP era.

scholarly journals Whither Nigeria?

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
U. A. Igun
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Structural Adjustment ◽  
Economic Empowerment ◽  
Adjustment Programme ◽  
Structural Adjustment Programme ◽  
Alternative Framework ◽  
Philosophical Framework

This paper examines the philosophical framework of Nigeria’s Economic Empowerment and development Strategy (NEEDS), its desirability, and the efficacy of its strategies. It argues that its philosophy has its roots in the African Alternative Framework to the Structural Adjustment programme (AAFSAP). The author concludes, based on a number of scenarios that the effectiveness of the NEEDS strategies are doubtful.

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