Debt and Dependency

Developing countries experiencing severe debt
problems often participate in conditionality
agreements brokered by the IMF and the World Bank.
Some argue that these agreements emphasize economic
growth over socioeconomic equality, limiting access
to health care for the majority of the population.
Dr. Ayers tests the assertion that conditionality
agreements are detrimental to health standards. A
new model, the Distributive Environment Model (DEM),
is proposed. The DEM demonstrates that a developing
country with low economic growth can achieve
improvements in health standards if broad and
diverse segments of its population have access to
its core economy. Economic growth-oriented policies
(like those typical of conditionality agreements)
are not always necessary to improve health standards
in developing countries. A flexible approach to development policy that considers the socioeconomic
reality of developing countries is recommended in
lieu of the "one size fits all" approach associated
with conditionality agreements.

Autorentext
Michael Ayers earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University at Albany in 2005. He currently lives with his wife Alexandra in the United States.

Klappentext
Developing countries experiencing severe debt problems often participate in conditionality agreements brokered by the IMF and the World Bank. Some argue that these agreements emphasize economic growth over socioeconomic equality, limiting access to health care for the majority of the population. Dr. Ayers tests the assertion that conditionality agreements are detrimental to health standards. A new model, the Distributive Environment Model (DEM), is proposed. The DEM demonstrates that a developing country with low economic growth can achieve improvements in health standards if broad and diverse segments of its population have access to its core economy. Economic growth-oriented policies (like those typical of conditionality agreements) are not always necessary to improve health standards in developing countries. A flexible approach to development policy that considers the socioeconomic reality of developing countries is recommended in lieu of the "one size fits all" approach associated with conditionality agreements.