Day One:
Questions We Need to Answer:

1. What has been the extent of the economic crisis in Africa (see previous lecture)?
2. What are the goals and specific measures of SAPs?
3. What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of SAPs?
4. How would SAPs affect different economic sectors and groups?
5. What are the implications for political transitions of the adoption of an SAP?
6. What has been the concrete experience of SAPs around Africa?
7. What are the alternatives?
8. Who are the donors and what are their motives?

Day Two:
Questions will vary, depending on the group.

There is a wealth of information from the IMF and World Bank suggesting that SAPs have had a beneficial impact on those African countries in which they have been tried. Similarly, the new government will want to point out benefits of SAPs, assuming that it suggests adopting one. It will also have to be able to convince the populace that the austerity measures will not prove too onerous. It also has to worry about its own electoral future. Civic organizations are likely to be most opposed; they may decide that concentrating on removing African debt through the HIPC initiative or other efforts might be a good place to start. There are many internationally based organizations concerned with just these issues. SAPs promise more foreign investment, but foreign investors need to be convinced that investing in Africa is a prudent thing to do. US government agencies like OPIC go a long way to assist in such efforts. One would also want to take into account the recently passed legislation that claims to increase trade between the US and Africa.