Overview

The International Monetary Fund has been criticised from both the right and the left of the political spectrum with the right arguing that it is too interventionist and creates more problems than it solves and the left on occasion demanding that it be abolished altogether. What seems almost beyond question is that the IMF needs to be reformed. Defining a future role for the IMF will always be a controversial issue, but vital to any considerations will be a measured assessment of how it has operated in the past. This excellent new book from an internationally respected expert on the IMF intends to do just that. Starting with an historical background tracing the evolution of the IMF, the book goes on to cover such themes as: The circumstances under which countries turn to the IMF The various aspects of IMF conditionality Institutional issues such as lending facilities and how the fund is resourced The Political Economy of IMF issues Bringing together an array of articles, this excellent new book will undoubtedly be required reading for anyone with a serious interest in development studies as well as being an eye-opening read for policy makers involved with the IMF.

Full Product Details

Author:   Graham Bird (University of Surrey, UK)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Volume:   5
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.90cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.612kg
ISBN:  

9780415299879

ISBN 10:   041529987
Pages:   316
Publication Date:   28 November 2002
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

1. A Case for Treatment: Understanding the Ongoing Debate about the IMF2. Borrowing from the IMF: The Policy Implications of Recent Empirical Research3. IMF Lending: How is it Affected by Economic, Political and Institutional Factors?4. IMF Programmes: Do They Work? Can They Be Made to Work Better?5. The Effectiveness of Conditionality and the Political Economy of Political Reform: Is it Simply a Matter of Political Will?6. IMF Programmes: Is There a Conditionality Laffer Curve?7. The Credibility and Signaling Effect of IMF Programmes8. The IMF's Role in Mobilising International Capital: Is There a Catalytic Effect?9. Restructuring the IMF's Lending Facilities10. Resourcing the Fund: Direct Borrowing from Private Capital Markets11. Crisis Averter, Crisis Lender, Crisis Manager: The IMF in Search of a Systemic Role12. The IMF and Developing Countries: A Review of the Evidence and Policy Options13. The Political Economy of the IMF: A Check List of the Issues14. The Political Economy of the SDR: The Rise and Fall of an International Reserve Asset

Reviews

Fourteen Papers... provide an empirically informed analysis of the IMF at the beginning of the twenty-first century and asses options for reform.. <br>- Journal of Economic Literature, September 2003 <br>

'The IMF and the Future will interest anyone who seeks to understand the complexities of the IMF role in the world economy and is prepared to live with the dismalness of economic science ... it is an excellent survey of the policy choices and problems that pushed the IMF in the direction it is moving today.'- James M. Boughton, Times Higher Education Supplement

Author Information

Graham Bird is Professor of Economics at the University of Surrey

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