1995 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Structural Adjustment Policies and Democratization in Africa
| Project/Area Number |
06041100
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for international Scientific Research
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | Field Research |
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| Research Institution | KEIO UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
ODA Hideo Faculty of Law, Keio University, Professor, 法学部, 教授 (40051297)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
MOCHIZUKI Katuya Development Studies Department, Institute of Developing Economies, 総合研究部, 研究員
MIYATA Osamu Faculty of International Relations, University of Shizuoka, 国際関係学部, 講師 (20200181)
TOMITA Hiroshi Faculty of Law, Keio University, 法学部, 教授 (00101882)
TATEYAMA Ryoji The Japanese Institute of Middle Eastern Economies, 研究主幹
AOKI Kazuyoshi College of International Relations, Nihon University, 国際関係学部, 教授 (90099987)
CHIYOURA Masamichi Faculty of Economics, Dokkyo University, 経済学部, 教授 (80049593)
KIMURA Shuzo Faculty of Law, Kobe University, 法学部, 教授 (50153193)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1994 – 1995
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| Keywords | Structural Adjustment / economic liberalization / political democratization / African countries / 1990s / IMF / World Bank / political Stability / loans |
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| Research Abstract |
This project aims at clarifying the interaction between economic liberalization and political democratization in the African countries in the 1990s. In the first year of the project, the members visited African countries and interviewed with governmental officals, scholars and industrial association officials. They recognize the limits of structural adjustment policies, but do not know how to change their economic policies. In addition, they have little understanding of the way in which political democratization plants its roots deeply in African soil. They have little appreciation of the negative effects of structural adjustment policies on the political stability of their countries.
In the second year, members mainly visited European countries and the US,seeing scholars and people from the aid institutions such as IMF and the World Bank. Unlike Africans, Europeans and Americans take the process of structural adjustment coolly, and do not take a rose-color view of the democratization p
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rocess. In addition, they have some recognition of the negative impact of structural adjustment policies on the politics of the African countries which are reasonably political stable.
Regarding North Africa, the IMF and the World Bank officials argue that the countries where the structural adjustment policies have been working well are only Morocco and Tunisia. Although Egypt has been given structural adjustment loans, its structural adjustment policies such as privatization have not made progress so far. As for Nigeria, intenational public opinion is unfavorable toward the present regime. In establishing democracy within the country, the Nigerian government must pay attention to international opinion.
Western countries have been reluctant to help African countries so they will have to improve themselves. As John Healey observed when he met Professor Oda at the Overseas Development Institute in the UK,the members of this project concur, the emergence of many social groups and interest groups are necessary for the strengthening of democratization in the African countries. Less
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