The International Monetary Fund and The Global South: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This thesis will analyze structural adjustment programs that the International Monetary Fund entered into arrangements with through three States: Indonesia, Nigeria, and Venezuela. All three States have fairly large populations and land areas, are major oil exporters, and have experienced good economic growth in the past. Specifically, I will examine the conditions in each State that led to the structural adjustment programs, the content of each program, and the socio-economic consequences of those programs and how their political economics were re-structured post-implementation. It is hoped that from my analysis, I may make suggestions for improvement of these programs, as well as assess, analyze, and understand the neoliberal model of restructuring a State's political economy.