Introduction: debt, deficits and austerity -- We must live within our means -- Governments must balance their books -- We must tighten our belts -- Don't go into debt -- Taxes are a burden -- Austerity: there is no alternative -- Always an alternative.

GLOBAL CRISIS AND POVERTY PREVENTION. Most recent statistics indicate that the global financial crisis will cause a fall in export earnings in Sierra Leone of approximately fifteen percent in 2009 compared to 2008. A regression-based model estimates that this decline in exports earnings could...