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Introduction:

When African countries gained their independence, they wanted to use their natural resources and economic gains to support social programmes that would improve the quality of life for their people.

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At the time of independence, market forces meant that these countries were free to sell their natural resources for economic gain, without external constraints.&nbsp;

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But now the situation has changed.

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Developed countries control the market for goods. This does not allow poor African countries to take the initiative in creating economic opportunities independently. This means these countries cannot make enough profit to run their government and pay for their social programmes.

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So what do they do?

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They take loans from international financial agencies like the IMF (International Monetary Fund).

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What does the IMF do? It loans money to countries in need if they implement a neoliberal economic program (the Structural Adjustment Program). This program forces governments to reduce public spending (among other things), and lets private companies run public services for their profit.

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Mozambique and other countries took loans from the IMF. Did their economies grow? No. Their debt increased to such an extent that it became impossible to pay it back and so these countries became dependent on the policies and will of others.

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We need to look under the surface of some key international financial agencies that claim to promote development for many and improve lives for ordinary people, to see if they really do promote development and for whom.

Directive:

The World Trade Organization (WTO) (2 hours)

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1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Read the files: &ldquo;The World Trade Organization&rdquo;, &ldquo;Globalization for the few&rdquo; and 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&ldquo;Whose Trade Organization?&rdquo;

2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Write a summary of the following points:

- What is the WTO?

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; - Why can it work against the interest of nation states?

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; - How has it worked against the interest of nation states (give at least 3

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; concrete examples from the text).

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; - Who do the policies of the WTO benefit and how?

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB)&nbsp; (2 hour)&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Influence of the WTO, IMF, and WB on the poor people in your country. (1 hour)

3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Give two concrete examples of the influence of the WTO, IMF, or WB on the 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;economic policies in your own country (for example the privatization of a particular 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;industry as a condition for taking a loan). Have these been beneficial or not to the 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Poor? Explain your answer.
Send your summaries and examples to your teacher. (1 hour). 
 
 
FILES:&nbsp;&nbsp;
<div style="margin-left: 40px;"> 
F1.&nbsp; &nbsp;The WTO, The International Forum on Globalization, Resources on Collapse 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;of the&nbsp;DOHA Round, Nairobi Ministeral Declaration on the Doha Work Program. 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Winner and Loser: Impact of the Doha Round impact on Devellopment Countries, 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;IFG Publisation on the WTO.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
F2.&nbsp; &nbsp;Globalisation for the few, by Michael Porcnti. 
 
F3.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Whose Trade Organisation, The Comprehensive Guide To The WTO&rdquo;,&nbsp; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Excerpts from the new book by Lori Wallach and Patrick Woodall of Public 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Citizen. 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;For Richer or Poorer: Facts and Fiction about Trade and Economic Gains in 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;the Developed World and Economic Results of the WTO in the U.S. 
 
F4.&nbsp; &nbsp;IMF and the World Bank, &nbsp;by the John F. Henning Center for International Labor 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Relations: 
 
F5.&nbsp; &nbsp;Globalisation new rulers of the world, The film and comment by John Pilger, in 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;http//www.ITV.com _ 
 
. 
&nbsp;</div>
 
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