SUSTAINING ECONOMIC-REFORM UNDER POLITICAL LIBERALIZATION IN AFRICA -ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS

Structural adjustment programs in sub-Saharan Africa have resulted in only partial economic successes, but have played a significant role in facilitating political liberalization. Economic reforms can be deepen ed however, if policies which sustain economic and political reform ef forts are more explicitly linked. The gains to be reaped from economic reforms will only be fully realized in conjunction with improvements in governance and expansion of democratic representation. In particula r, there are four key dimensions for facilitating the sustainability o f economic reform in the context of political liberalization in sub-Sa haran Africa: changing government behavior and strengthening governmen t capacity; enhancing the political capacity for effective policy impl ementation; nurturing civil society and increasing nongovernment organ ization (NGO) participation; and fostering the necessary institutional foundations for markets. Copyright (C) 1996 Published by Elsevier Sci ence Ltd