Conditionality

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Bolivian PRGF a “blind alley”

15 September 2003

A new report by Bolivian NGO CEDLA shows that despite a new emphasis on civil society participation and poverty alleviation, the core policies attached to IMF loans have not changed. Participation in the design of the national poverty reduction strategy excluded many non-governmental actors and did not have the supposed impact on the final document. Using evidence from past programmes, the authors conclude the Fund’s Poverty Reduction and Growth facility and the PRSP are “unlikely to change the prospects of the economy and of the majority of the people in Bolivia”. They recommend social impact analysis of proposed policies and open public debate before a new letter of intent is signed.