In the previous decades, Jamaica had relied heavily on their natural resources for economic stability, but when global prices for ore fell, the economy began to plummet. Jamaica’s government began to rely more heavily on loans from the World Bank, IMF and the Inter-American Development Bank. Meanwhile, the economy was not growing, and the Jamaican people were often experiencing negative growth (Dennis). In Sudhanshu Handa and Damien King’s work, Adjustment with a Human Face? Evidence from Jamaica, they explore the effects of the structural adjustment programs on Jamaican citizens through the lens of children’s health. The structural adjustment programs include the liberalization of exchange rates, lessening of government subsidies, and austerity programs. Handa and King’s research shows that directly following the implementation of these programs, the z-score weight of children fell, and this was seen especially prevalent in urban children (Handa). Since the implementation of the structural adjustment programs Jamaica’s average GDP per capita has been on the rise, reaching a maximum of $5,445 in 2012 (World Bank). However, the people of Jamaica are deeply affected, since trade has become liberalized. Many people who made a living through subsistence agriculture were no longer able to do so since importing foreign goods became substantially less expensive (Life in Debt). Although average GDP per capita is increasing in Jamaica, it is imperative to understand the effects of structural adjustment programs on not just the economy, but also on the citizens who must face the effects in their day to day
In the previous decades, Jamaica had relied heavily on their natural resources for economic stability, but when global prices for ore fell, the economy began to plummet. Jamaica’s government began to rely more heavily on loans from the World Bank, IMF and the Inter-American Development Bank. Meanwhile, the economy was not growing, and the Jamaican people were often experiencing negative growth (Dennis). In Sudhanshu Handa and Damien King’s work, Adjustment with a Human Face? Evidence from Jamaica, they explore the effects of the structural adjustment programs on Jamaican citizens through the lens of children’s health. The structural adjustment programs include the liberalization of exchange rates, lessening of government subsidies, and austerity programs. Handa and King’s research shows that directly following the implementation of these programs, the z-score weight of children fell, and this was seen especially prevalent in urban children (Handa). Since the implementation of the structural adjustment programs Jamaica’s average GDP per capita has been on the rise, reaching a maximum of $5,445 in 2012 (World Bank). However, the people of Jamaica are deeply affected, since trade has become liberalized. Many people who made a living through subsistence agriculture were no longer able to do so since importing foreign goods became substantially less expensive (Life in Debt). Although average GDP per capita is increasing in Jamaica, it is imperative to understand the effects of structural adjustment programs on not just the economy, but also on the citizens who must face the effects in their day to day