Imperialism and the Political Economy of Global South’s Debt

The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and OU Economics are delighted to host the launch of Ndongo Samba Sylla’s latest book, Imperialism and the Political Economy of Global South’s Debt. In the volume, a number of experts connect the history of this issue with a range of factors including class dynamics, the changing landscape of sovereign debt markets, the global liquidity cycle, the enduring constraints of commodity dependence, ecological sustainability, and the limitations of the current ad hoc sovereign debt restructuring procedures.

In contrast to orthodox accounts that view debt crises in the Global South as a cyclical problem or as consequences of “mismanagement” or “fiscal irresponsibility”, Imperialism and the Political Economy of Global South’s Debt recognizes the systemic nature of the Global South’s external debt, revealed only further by the economic uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the need to analyse it in relation to existing imperialist structures.

The event will be simultaneously translated in French and Spanish. Register to participate here.

13:00 – 14:30: Session 1: Diagnosis

• Chair: Paul Zarembka, Professor of Economics, State University of New York at Buffalo
• Discussant: Charles Abugre, Ghanaian economist, Executive Director of IDEAs
• Speakers: Juan E. Santarcángelo (Universidad Nacional de Quilmes); Mariano Féliz (CONICET, Argentina); Harry Cross (Fahd University in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia); Ndongo S. Sylla (Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Senegal).

14:45 – 16:15: Session 2: Ways Forward: Policy Options and their Feasibility

• Chair: Paul Zarembka, Professor of Economics, State University of New York at Buffalo
• Discussant: Karina Patricio Ferreira Lima, University of Leeds
• Speakers: Basil Oberholzer (Global Green Growth Institute); Christina Laskaridis (Open University, London); Olufunmilayo Arewa (Temple University, Philadelphia); James Gathii (Loyola University Chicago)

The OU Economics Seminar Series promotes high-quality research bringing together academics to exchange, share and engage in dialogue with policymakers, practitioners, industry representatives and members of the public.