The Politics of Global Debt is a detailed political analysis of the origins and consequences of the `global debt crisis' which emerged in the early 1980s. It assesses both `imperialist' and `New Right' interpretations of the crisis, and also presents a series of case studies of the effects of external debt upon Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia. The book focusses upon the `sovereign debt' of states, and its management, and examines the ways in which global economic structures, inefficient policies, weak institutions, and corrupt political leaders contribute to a global debt crisis which has both international and domestic roots.

List of Tables - Preface - List of Acronyms and a Note on Numbers - Notes on Contributors - Introduction: The Politics of Debt Crises; S.P.Riley - PART 1: THEORIES AND CONCEPTS - Discipline and Punish: The New Right and the Policing of the International Debt Crisis; S.Corbridge - Debt and Imperialism: Perspectives on the Debt Crisis; M.J.Grieve - Democracies, Dictatorships and the Debt Crisis; A.K.Jain - PART 2: CASE-STUDIES - The Latin American Debt Crisis; P.O'Brien - Debt, Democracy and the Environment in Africa; S.P.Riley - American Agriculture and the Debt Crisis; D.Freshwater - The Political Consequences of External Debt in Eastern Europe; G.A.Potts - External Debt, Economic Success and Economic Failure: State Autonomy, Africa, and the NICs; R.Charlton - Conclusions; S.P.Riley - Bibliographical Note; S.P.Riley - Index