IMF and the Force of History

IMF and the Force of History PDF

Author: Mr.James M. Boughton

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2014-07-14

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 1498306837

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The world and the IMF have undergone profound changes since the Bretton Woods Conference. James Boughton, former historian of the IMF, looks at key events that have shaped the IMF and the international scene. From the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 to the Great Recession, this essay focuses on 11 events in history that have influenced the design and work of the IMF, as well as the international monetary system. This booklet, prepared for the 70th anniversary of the IMF, is an excerpt from a longer essay that is available on the IMF eLibrary. It is an excellent primer on the motivation behind the founding of the IMF and the evolution of the organization.

The IMF and the Force of History

The IMF and the Force of History PDF

Author: James M. Boughton

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 25

ISBN-13:

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The International Monetary Fund was designed during World War II by men whose worldview had been shaped by the Great War and the Great Depression. Their views on how the postwar international monetary system should function were also shaped by their economics training and their nationalities. After the IMF began functioning as an institution, its evolution was similarly driven by a combination of political events (Suez, African independence, the collapse of global communism), economic events (the rising economic power of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia), and trends and cycles in economic theory (the monetary approach to the balance of payments, new classical economics, the rise and fall of the Washington Consensus). As they happened, these forces had effects that were perceived as adaptations to current events and new ideas within a fixed institutional structure and mandate. The cumulative effect of history on the institution has been rather more profound and requires a longer and larger perspective.

Tearing Down Walls

Tearing Down Walls PDF

Author: Mr.James M. Boughton

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2012-03-05

Total Pages: 1036

ISBN-13: 1616350849

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This volume--the fifth in a series of histories of the International Monetary Fund--examines the 1990s, a tumultuous decade in which the IMF faced difficult challenges and took on new and expanded roles. Among these were assisting countries that had long operated under central planning to manage transitions toward market economies, helping countries in financial crisis after sudden loss of support from private financial markets, adapting surveillance to reflect the growing acceptance of international standards for economic and financial policies, helping low-income countries grow and begin to eradicate poverty while staying within its mandate as a monetary institution, and providing adequate financial assistance to members in an age of limited official resources. The IMF's successes and setbacks in facing these challenges provide valuable lessons for an uncertain future.

History of the IMF

History of the IMF PDF

Author: Kazuhiko Yago

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-06-10

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 4431553517

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This book describes the history of the IMF from its birth, through the Bretton Woods era, and in the aftermath. Special attention is paid to integrating IMF history with the macro-economic policies of member countries and of other international institutions as well. This collection of work presents a clear understanding, inter alia, of the influence of the United States over IMF policy via the National Advisory Committee; the dealings of the IMF with the UK on pound sterling policy; the institutional change of the IMF brought about by Per Jacobsson, the third managing director; and France, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Japan vis-à-vis IMF consultations. It also provides the reader with topics concerning the bankers’ acceptance market function and international liquidity issues in relation to IMF policy; the final chapter sheds light on the long-standing relations between the IMF and China, from the Bretton Woods Agreement to the contemporary period. All the chapters are archive-based academic studies providing deep insights with historical background, which makes this book the first thoroughly independent achievement in the field of IMF history. This book is highly recommended to readers interested in contemporary monetary and financial history and those who seek to obtain a coherent image of postwar international institutions and markets.

The Battle of Bretton Woods

The Battle of Bretton Woods PDF

Author: Benn Steil

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2013-02-24

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 0691149097

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Recounts the events of the Bretton Woods accords, presents portaits of the two men at the center of the drama, and reveals Harry White's admiration for Soviet economic planning and communications with intelligence officers.

Resetting the International Monetary (Non)System

Resetting the International Monetary (Non)System PDF

Author: José Antonio Ocampo

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 019871811X

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Annotation Provides an analysis of the global monetary system and proposes a comprehensive yet evolutionary reform of the system aimed at creating better monetary cooperation for the twenty-first century.

This Time Is Different

This Time Is Different PDF

Author: Carmen M. Reinhart

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2011-08-07

Total Pages: 513

ISBN-13: 0691152640

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An empirical investigation of financial crises during the last 800 years.

Public Sector Debt Statistics

Public Sector Debt Statistics PDF

Author: International Monetary Fund

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2011-12-08

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 161635156X

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The global financial crisis of recent years and the associated large fiscal deficits and debt levels that have impacted many countries underscores the importance of reliable and timely government statistics and, more broadly, public sector debt as a critical element in countries fiscal and external sustainability. Public Sector Debt Statistics is the first international guide of its kind, and its primary objectives are to improve the quality and timeliness of key debt statistics and promote a convergence of recording practices to foster international comparability and as a reference for national compilers and users for compiling and disseminating these data. Like other statistical guides published by the IMF, this one was prepared in consultation with countries and international agencies, including the nine organizations of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Finance Statistics (TFFS). The guide's preparation was based on the broad range of experience of our institutions and benefitted from consultation with national compilers of government finance and public sector debt statistics. The guide's concepts are harmonized with those of the System of National Accounts (2008) and the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual, Sixth Edition.

The Cambridge History of America and the World: Volume 4, 1945 to the Present

The Cambridge History of America and the World: Volume 4, 1945 to the Present PDF

Author: David C. Engerman

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2022-03-03

Total Pages: 903

ISBN-13: 1108317855

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The fourth volume of The Cambridge History of America and the World examines the heights of American global power in the mid-twentieth century and how challenges from at home and abroad altered the United States and its role in the world. The second half of the twentieth century marked the pinnacle of American global power in economic, political, and cultural terms, but even as it reached such heights, the United States quickly faced new challenges to its power, originating both domestically and internationally. Highlighting cutting-edge ideas from scholars from all over the world, this volume anatomizes American power as well as the counters and alternatives to 'the American empire.' Topics include US economic and military power, American culture overseas, human rights and humanitarianism, third-world internationalism, immigration, communications technology, and the Anthropocene.

Rethinking the International Monetary System

Rethinking the International Monetary System PDF

Author: Jane Sneddon Little

Publisher: University Press of the Pacific

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13:

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According to a recent World Bank study, the Asian crisis led to a significant rise in poverty and sharp declines in middle-class living standards in the countries most affected. Real public spending on health and education fell, with poor households experiencing the largest declines in access to these services. The impact of decreased investment in human capital will have consequences for individuals and whole societies for years to come. Because these external shocks occurred very shortly after these countries had liberalized their capital markets, they have engendered a growing distrust of globalization in many parts of the world. We owe it to the people of the developing countries, as well as to ourselves, to consider how institutional or policy changes could moderate such setbacks in the future. For all these reasons, this conference seemed a good time to pause and consider the implications of recent events, institutional changes, and new research for the evolution of the international monetary system. Representing frontline countries and frontline institutions, many of the conference participants had struggled firsthand with the dilemmas posed by the recent crises. Thus, they brought unique perspectives on the issues and offered thoughtful observations and useful ideas that could improve the workings of the international monetary system. It is our hope that this publication of their views will stimulate further discussion, research and, more than partial implementation.