Debt and Conditionality: Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative and Opportunities for Expanding Policy Space

> TWN Global Economy Series no. 9, 2007, 28 p., US$8.00

The Multilateral Debt Initiative (MDRI) was introduced in September 2005 to operationalise the political outcome of deliberations at the G8 summit in Gleneagles in July that year. The MDRI is to provide 100% cancellation of eligible debt stock owed by eligible countries to four multilateral financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and is separate from but linked operationally to the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) (...) read

date of on-line publication : 22 May 2007

Transnational Institute (TNI)

Beyond the market : the future of public services

> Public Services Yearbook, edited by Daniel Chavez, TNI / Public Services Internatinal Research Unit (PSIRU), april 2006 (pdf)

This yearbook is not just a compilation of articles - however important and excellent they may be. It is also a call to arms. Many of its chapters prove that privatisation is not inevitable, that we can and must react to protect, preserve and reclaim our public service inheritance. It is clear that without extensive, universally distributed public services, there is no way the world can realise the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals. View the chapters and read online the Public (...) read

date of on-line publication : 12 November 2006

SINGH Kavaljit

Questioning Globalization

> Citizens’ International (Malaysia), Ibon Books (Manila), Madhyam Books (Delhi), Zed Books (London and New York), 2005, 192 pp.

Globalization has become the cliché of our times. The neo-liberal virus has struck almost everybody including within the ranks of the left. The proponents of neo-liberal globalization claim that it produces “accelerated efficient” development along with deepening of democracy and human rights. However, reality shows the opposite and any rigorous examination of such frivolous arguments reveals their shallowness and inconsistency. Social progress and democracy cannot move ahead but jointly and on the condition that we move away from the dogmas of neo-liberalism.
The book underscores that the current disasters are not the “price” to pay for a transition towards the promised paradise, but on the contrary are bound to deepen as long as neo-liberal economic policies are pursued. Instead of focusing on past debates, the book makes a critical analysis of several contemporary debates related to globalization. With the help of case studies, statistical data and cogent analysis, the book debunks several myths associated with the globalization processes.
Written for a non-technical audience and lay readership, the book fundamentally questions the viewpoints held by the “hyper-globalists.” The book would not only contribute towards deepening the current debates on globalization but is also expected to become an indispensable tool of analysis for concerned citizens, students, social and political activists, labor unions, NGOs, and policy makers. read

date of on-line publication : 23 August 2005