Macroeconomic adjustment and the poor : toward a research strategy

Chapter 2 endeavors to identify the specific types of policies with which this study is concerned, while Chapter 3 provides a brief statement of the study"s objectives. Chapter 4 addresses the theoretical issues, and draws on the dependent economy model as an organizing framework for the discussion. A variety of mechanisms are examined through which macroeconomic adjustment has an impact on income distribution. The nature of the major policy instruments is more fully explored in Chapter 5, and this is followed by a discussion of matters concerning the order, mix, and timing of policy changes in Chapter 6. A capsule view of some selected empirical work is presented in Chapter 7. Despite a rich and varied menu of approaches, it is found that few have addressed the objectives of this study. Given that the focus is on the welfare of the poor, Chapter 8 reviews alternative indicators of poverty and nutritional status. The final chapter draws together the main threads of the story and sets out the principal elements of a research strategy designed to quantify the short-run impact of adjustment on the incomes and nutritional status of the poor in developing countries. (Author abstract, modified)