This work investigates how national economic adjustment policies can be restructured to protect vulnerable populations while simultaneously fostering sustainable development during periods of severe financial crisis. The authors, led by Giovanni Andrea Cornia and supported by UNICEF, analyze the negative social impacts of austerity measures implemented in the 1970s and 1980s. They argue that economic stabilization and human welfare are not mutually exclusive, proposing a framework that integrates social safety nets directly into macroeconomic planning.

Experts recognize this volume as a foundational text in the field of development economics, specifically regarding the human cost of structural adjustment programs. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the historical significance of the data presented in the context of international development policy.