Crippling debt burdens and glaring inequities in the global trading system have forced developing countries into economic policies that favor the developed world and not their own people. This new book, drawing upon a wide range of contributions to a Conference organized by the International Jesuit Network for Development, examines this vicious cycle of loan conditionality and global trade policy—a cycle that prevents poor countries from meeting even modest international development targets.

The Group of 8 (G8) industrialized nations agreed in advance of their 2005 summit to cancel the debt of some of the poorest countries, provided that those countries were showing improved governance and control of corruption. But an ethical imperative calls for reforming the more systemic imbalances of the international trade regime, and doing so in ways that guarantee humane living conditions for all.

Can the G8 put forth integrated policies on debt and trade, with human dignity playing a central role? Debt and Trade: Time to Make the Connections unpacks this complex question from a range of perspectives, including human rights, development, policy coherence, debt sustainability and the challenges for global solidarity. It provides a holistic assessment of debt and trade and how innovative policy in these two arenas can help propel us toward a more just and sustainable world.