Globalization and competitiveness: implications for poverty reduction in Uganda

Abstract

The paper focuses on the interface between globalization and poverty reduction in Uganda, beginning with the advances in information technology that have transformed the globe into a virtual village. The paper presents the macroeconomic framework that has characterized the global economy and its distorted benefits to developing countries. The exchange parity between exports and imports in both factor and product markets has been skewed against poor countries such as Uganda, exacerbating rather than reducing poverty. It is argued that globalized markets require a competitive capacity that the Ugandan economy does not have. It is because of this that most sub Saharan countries , including Uganda, have globalized through systemic shocks rather than making use of opportunities. Global competitiveness is, however, inevitable if the Ugandan economy is to catch up with global trends and patterns. Globalization can lead to adverse effects if poor countries open their economies without thinking. Globalization must be cautiously embraced if development is to be sustainable.


Journal of Social Development in Africa Vol 16 No 2 2001, pp. 31-52