The Market Tells Them So: The World Bank and Economic Fundamentalism in AfricaStructural adjustment is not just an economic strategy designed to assist countries in addressing technical problems related to trade, growth and the balance of payments. It embodies also, this author argues, a social, cultural, and even quasi-religious vision for the remaking of Africa and the world. John Mihevc focuses on three aspects of structural adjustment in particular. He provides an entirely innovative characterization of World Bank thinking as essentially fundamentalist in the scale of its ambitions, its ignoring of the complexities of social reality, and its denial of the legitimacy of contrary views of development. He gives a trenchant account of the criticisms which World Bank policies have elicited. And he considers the response from African churches and social movements representing voices of resistance and providing an alternative vision. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 9 |
Globalization as Social Control | 15 |
CHAPTER | 21 |
The Theology of Structural Adjustment | 27 |
Filling in the Gaps | 35 |
Modernization of Africa | 43 |
The Development of Structural Adjustment | 50 |
CHAPTER THREE | 55 |
The Assumptions of the World Banks ExportOriented | 147 |
Ghana | 155 |
The GATT Negotiations | 165 |
Making Structural Adjustment Permanent | 171 |
CHAPTER SEVEN | 183 |
Gender Ecology and SAPS | 190 |
CHAPTER EIGHT | 199 |
The World Banks Biotechnology Vision | 205 |
Rescuing the Banks | 65 |
Myths about SubSaharan Africas Debt | 71 |
Multilateral Debt Relief Proposals | 78 |
CHAPTER FOUR | 85 |
The Size of Government | 91 |
Summary of Berg Report | 99 |
The Debt Crisis | 105 |
The ECA Response | 112 |
Donor Conditionality | 121 |
Consolidating the Agenda | 123 |
The Global Coalition for Africa | 129 |
CHAPTER SIX | 141 |
The Socialization of Genetic Resources | 211 |
Counter BioRevolution | 219 |
CHAPTER NINE | 225 |
The Churches as Instruments of Recolonization | 231 |
African Churches and Northern Partners | 243 |
Conclusion | 249 |
Adjustment with a Human Face | 257 |
The Church as Oppressor of Women | 263 |
CONCLUSION | 273 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 281 |
307 | |
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Africa Conference Africa's Adjustment African countries AgBiotech agricultural alternative analysis assumptions Bank's basic Berg Report billion biotechnology cent churches in Africa cocoa commodities comparative advantage Conference of Churches creditors Crisis in Africa crops debt crisis debt service developing countries discourse donor ecological economic crisis Economic Justice effects environment environmental export export-oriented farmers finance fundamentalist Gathaka GATT gender genetic Ghana global economy grassroots Green Revolution growth impact important increase industries Institute issues labour lending Lent and Lost liberalization loans London ment Multilateral Nairobi NGOs North Odious Debts Perspectives policies Political Economy poor Press problems production reform role Root Causes SAP agenda SAPS sector seeds social strategy sub-Saharan Africa terms of trade theology Third World Third World Debt Third World Network TNCs transformation UNICEF UNPAAERD women Women and Economic Women's Desk World Bank World Development Report Zed Books