This study about the evolution, management and effects of the debt crisis of the 1970s and 1980s in Sudan is also about the role the IMF has played in Sudan. The first two chapters situate the study in the broader context of the Third World’s debt crisis and the role of the IMF. Ch. 1 compares the debt crisis in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, ch. 2 examines the nature and form of policy conditionality in IMF lending and analyses the contradictory nature of the IMF’s multiple roles in policy dialogue and debt management. Ch. 3 provides historical, political and economic background information for the study of Sudan’s economic crisis and the role of the Sudanese State and the international donor community in the economy in recent years. Chapters 4 and 5 both analyse the role of the IMF and the performance of the government of Sudan, mainly from a debt management perspective. Ch. 4 covers the period 1978-1984, when there was an IMF-supported stabilization programme in place. Ch. 5 covers the period from 1984 to 1988, when the Sudanese government had no formal agreement with the IMF. Ch. 6 addresses the question of the appropriateness and efficacy of the policy content and conditions prescribed by the IMF. Chapter 7 provides a summary and conclusions.
