External Debt Histories of Ten Low-Income Developing Countries

Download or read book External Debt Histories of Ten Low-Income Developing Countries written by Saqib Rizavi and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1998-05-01 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The external debt burden of many low-income developing countries has increased significantly since the 1970s. Developments in a sample of ten countries show that the main factors behind the buildup of debt were (1) exogenous (adverse terms of trade shocks or weather), (2) a lack of sustained macroeconomic adjustment and structural reforms, (3) nonconcessional lending arid refinancing policies of creditors, (4) inadequate debt management, and (5) political factors (civil war and social strife). Future policies should limit the need for external financing and create an environment conducive to diversifying export growth, managing debt more prudently, and basing economic projections on more cautious assumptions.