Political liberalisation and economic reform in developing countries

The last decade has seen unprecedented moves towards more liberal and democratic forms of political rule across the developing world. There have been expectations, in Africa and elsewhere, that such political changes would have a positive influence on economic reform measures. This Briefing Paper first describes the nature of the reforms and the links between political systems and economic management. It then examines some recent evidence of economic reform under new, and more democratic, political regimes in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.