SAGE Journal Articles

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Journal Article 1: Blanton, R. G., Blanton, S. L., & Peksen, D. (2015). The impact of IMF and World Bank programs on labor rights. Political Research Quarterly, 68(2), 324-336. doi:10.1177/1065912915578462

Summary: The authors test arguments that programs from the IMF and World Bank negatively affect labor rights in developing countries. In particular, they find that recipients of programs from these institutions have both weaker legal protections for labor rights and fewer labor rights in practice.

Questions to Consider

  1. When looking at macroeconomic stability, do institutions like the IMF and World Bank have a responsibility to consider labor rights?

  2. As the article notes, some research suggests that programs from these institutions may have long-term benefits for poverty reduction and overall economic growth. How should we balance the negative and positive impacts of macro-economic policies?

 

Journal Article 2: Fues, T. (2007). Millennium development goals and streamlining the UN development architectures. International Studies, 44(1), 23-37. doi:10.1177/002088170604400102

Summary: The MDGs provided a set of eight goals to guide development efforts from 2000 to 2015 when they were replaced by the SDGs. This article, written half-way through their progress, suggests that the MDGs also helped provide the impetus to reform the UN development apparatus. It analyzes changes that were made as of 2007 and suggests future changes.

Questions to Consider

  1. What were the main criticisms of the different regional groups about the old UN development architecture?

  2. The MDGs and SDGs both provide a common framework for all states pursuing development and led to an evolution of the UN architecture. What might the benefits be to an organization to have a common set of goals driving their programs and actions?

  3. Taking the opposite view, what might be some of the detriments of having a set of common goals across the UN system?

 

Journal Article 3: Mainwaring, S., & Pérez-Liñán, A. (2003). Level of development and democracy: Latin American exceptionalism, 1945-1996. Comparative Political Studies, 36(9), 1031-1067. doi:10.1177/0010414003257068

Summary: It has often been argued that economic development can pave the way for or strengthen democracy. This article finds, however, the economic development in general and per capita income in particular are poor predictors of democracy in Latin America (non-democracies may be relatively well off, and democracies may have poorly functioning economies).

Questions to Consider

  1. Traditionally, why do we expect democracy to be associated with a strong economy?

  2. What is the evidence the authors use to conclude that good economic performance is not tied to democracy in Latin America?

  3. The authors suggest some potential explanations for this anomaly in Latin America. What are those potential explanations?

 

Journal Article 4: Pineo, R. (2014). The free market experiment in Latin America: Moving beyond past policies to search for a pathway forward. Journal of Developing Societies, 30(2), 169-194. doi:10.1177/0169796X14525534

Summary: This article is an examination of the impact of neoliberal economic policies in Latin America. It concludes that neoliberalism has had, at best, mixed results. The author bluntly states, “The road we have been on, the free market capitalist approach, has failed us.” It suggests a number of international and national policy suggestions, including revisiting import substitution economics.

Questions to Consider

  1. What evidence does the author use to argue neoliberal economics has failed in Latin America? Do you find this evidence persuasive?

  2. Do you believe these arguments are generalizable beyond Latin America?

  3. Evaluate the proposed policy fixes to the problems proposed by the author. Do you believe they could be successful?

 

Journal Article 5: Saad-Filho, A. (2011). Growth, poverty and inequality: Policies and debates from the (post-) Washington consensus to inclusive growth. Indian Journal of Human Development, 5(2), 321-344. doi:10.1177/0973703020110202

Summary: This article argues that existing World Bank and overall development policy has neglected poverty reduction through its focus on macroecnomic growth and free markets. It does so by tracing the history of the discussion of poverty eradication in the World Bank.

Questions to Consider

  1. Should poverty eradication be a goal of economic development? If not, what should the goal be?

  2. How would a “pro-poor” perspective impact development efforts?

  3. Collectively, what do the recommended articles for this chapter suggests about the future of the liberal international economic order?