Although Jamaica has had Structural Adjustment and Standby Loans from the World Bank and INfF since 1977, the implementation of typical structural adjustment policies such as trade and financial liberalization, privatization and labor market reform has forthe most part occurred only since 1989. During the period 1989-1993 when theJamaican economy underwent the most drastic liberalization policies, inequality and poverty declined, although there were sharp jumps in both inequality and poverty in 1991when financial liberalization occurred The overall decline in poverty is attributed to the strong performance of domestic agriculture which seems unlikely to be sustained