Editing Life and Debt (section)

==Synopsis==
''Life and Debt'' is a 2001 United States documentary film directed by [[Stephanie Black]] about the economic and social situation in [[Jamaica]] after [[globalization]], specifically the impact of [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) and the [[World Bank]]'s policies. It starts with the essay "[[A Small Place]]" by [[Jamaica Kincaid]].
The IMF loans were conditional on structural adjustment policies, which required Jamaica to enact major economic reforms, including trade liberalization, privatization, and deregulation. Reforms were not successful and left Jamaica with $4.6 billion in debt.

The film features a number of interviews with former Jamaican Prime Minister [[Michael Manley]], in which he critiques the system of International Financial Institution loans. He is particularly critical of required structural adjustments as an attack on the sovereignty of many former colonial nations and suggests the system is akin to [[imperialism]] or [[neocolonialism]]. He also criticizes the [[Jamaican Free Zones]] as [[United States|U.S]].-subsidized [[sweatshop]]s. The film itself interviews several of the free zone workers.