Much of the blame rests with the economic crisis that preceded SAPs, but clearly the adjustment policies themselves contributed significantly to the increase of poverty, and the decline of quality of social sectors such as education, health, welfare and environment. Many other international development agencies including NGOs and United Nations institutions have critically reported negative aspects of SAPs. On-going discussions, evaluations, and criticisms especially focusing on SAPs’ negative impacts have had strong influence on changes in the approach of the major donor agencies such as the World Bank and IMF. For example, the World bank emphasizes that poverty reduction, income distribution, and human/social development have been adopted into the Bank’s operational policy on SAPs. Now that the importance of protecting social sectors and living standards is more widely recognized, one might hope that economic reform will be designed to ease human suffering, not contribute to it (Adepoju 1993).

Here are some recommendations for the future which have been discussed.

• Structural adjustment programs should recognize the diversity of economic, social and political structures between countries, and tailor the SAP model to suit each;
• Social services spending should be maintained, and mechanisms for promoting equitable distribution should be introduced as a central objective of the adjustment process;
• The process of goal articulation and program formulation and implementation should be democratized, in order to ensure local participation and the maintenance of an open dialogue and close links with local NGOs and CSOs.
• A human dimension is needed, to provide programs to ameliorate the negative social impacts of structural adjustment.

The World Bank / IMF have stated that in the long run, SAPs will enhance growth, and provide better access to jobs and social services. Through empowerment and participation in the decisions that affect their lives, the poor can emerge from poverty (Picciotto, 1996). If these necessary policy reforms can be successfully accomplished, structural adjustment reforms will benefit the poor in the long run through the stabilization and growth of economy (Weaver, 1995).