Structural adjustment and personal social services in Zambia: the case of urban poverty

A position paper on how economic structural adjustment policies have impacted negatively on social security programmes resulting in endemic urban poverty in Zambia.This paper argues that the policy package resulting from the implementation of the structural adjustment programme in Zambia has aggravated the deterioration of personal social services such as health and education. It demonstrates, for example, that the impact of government restraint will fall disproportionately on the urban poor as access to schools, health services, etc is curtailed. The question is, given cuts in health and education budgets, will the urban poor be sufficiently healthy, educated and trained to earn a living in Zambian society, which is becoming fiercely competitive?Overseas Development Administration, British Development Division, Central Africa; The British Council