Is Debt Cancellation a Good Way to go?

Radka Vopařilová

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The issue of the high levels of external debt in the poorest nations has become an increasing matter of concern for the industrialized nations due to the difficulties that heavily indebted nations have with sustaining economic growth. In 2005 the Group of Eight pledged to cancel the debt of the world?s most indebted countries that are eligible for the relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative. Based on this pledge, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund approved the debt cancellation in March 2006, with debt cancellation commencing on June 1, 2006. As a reaction, this thesis provides an overview of arguments in favor of debt cancellation as well as against debt cancellation as they are introduced in economic literature. After presenting and taking all the points of view into consideration this thesis comes to the conclusion whether the debt cancellation is a good way to go.

Keywords

HIPC, economic development, poverty, debt relief

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 20. 3. 2007

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 5. 6. 2007
• Supervisor: Pavel Štěpánek
• Reader: Jana Kapinusová

Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze

Master programme / field:
Hospodářská politika a správa / Národní hospodářství