Jordan Since 1989

Since the intervention of the IMF in 1989, the boundaries between the private and public sectors of the Jordanian economy have become blurred. This, the author argues, has significantly reduced the competitiveness of Jordanian firms, and therefore the standing of the country in worldwide economic terms. Jordan Since 1989 is the first major work in political economy to study the impact of the 1989 IMF intervention and the changes that it has wrought upon the Jordanian economy. Knowles argues that the blurring of boundaries between the public and private sector has significantly affected the success of IMF and World Bank policies in Jordan which are predicated upon a clear distinction between these sectors. Furthermore Jordan's move from an economy that is dependent upon outside economic assistance to one that is dependent upon remittances has affected the power of the country's elite which hitherto depended on access to and control of aid.