Fund trade advice in the crosshairs (Bretton Woods Project)

Fund trade advice in the crosshairs

The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) released the draft issues paper for its planned evaluation of the IMF’s trade policy advice. While past IEO reports have tended to look at whether IMF practice is following policy, the issues paper indicates the evaluation “will aim to move beyond the question of whether the IMF’s role should be more focused and address questions of whether … critics of the IMF’s positions have a solid basis”. That will include criticisms that the IMF’s trade policy advice has not been even handed and that it has constrained developing country policy space (see Update 47). The IEO welcomes comments on the issues paper.

Independence of IMF’s evaluation arm questioned IEO sets broad work plan News|Bretton Woods Project|11 September 2006|update 52|url
In an evaluation of the IMF Independent Evaluation Office's first five years of work, an external committee concluded that the IMF board may have undue influence over the body. Additionally the IEO set itself an ambitious work plan for the next year, as it plans to delve into the Fund's internal organisation and trade policy read article...
Evaluation finds that IMF misleads the public about its role in Africa News|Bretton Woods Project|2 April 2007|update 55|url
A report released by the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the IMF criticises the role of the IMF in managing aid inflows to Sub-Saharan Africa, but fails to address more fundamental questions about the Fund’s role in low-income countries. read article...