Structural adjustment and poverty: a study of rural Uganda

Market-based structural adjustment programes have been much critised as a blueprint for economic and human development. In Uganda, the first phase of the Economic Recovery Programme (launched in 1987) has brought progress, in that macroeconomic stability and rapid economic growth have been realised. However, has this success been shared by the whole population? This paper examines evidence from a survey conducted by the Bank of Uganda in 1997, which reveals continuing poverty in the rural areas. Results from the survey are used to explore possible market-based processes by which the rural population could be more effectively integrated into national markets.