| Summary: | Considers the relationship between adjustment policies and poverty in the developing countries over the decade of the 1980s and identifies improved policies for the future. Reviews theoretical arguments and empirical evidence concerning the effect of stabilization and adjustment policies on income distribution and poverty. Contends that the impact of fiscal changes during adjustment on the poor, while frequently negative in practice, is not unavoidably negative, but rather that governments have the ability to make choices that will accentuate or reduce the negative effects. Considers how the poor were affected by changes in food subsidies during adjustment and addresses two types of errors associated with the design of targeted food interventions in adjustment programs. Evaluates the experience of selected countries with social funds. Examines developments in two regions most affected by the debt and commodity price crisis--Africa and Latin America. Contrasts some successful and unsuccessful country experiences in protecting the poor during adjustment and draws general conclusions. Stewart is Director of the International Development Centre, Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford. Bibliography; index.
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