Examines representation and power issues relating to the IMF’s Board, staff and management. Identifies and discusses reform proposals.
Briefings
Conditionality
Analysis
New Development Tools or Empty Acronyms?
The reality behind the Comprehensive Development Framework and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (2000).
WB/IMF roles
Analysis
A Crisis Of Identity? Conflicting Roles For The IMF
Two forces for change have converged on the IMF in recent years. The first is in relation to the financial crisis that swept across the globe in 1997 and 1998. The second has arisen from the pressure for debt cancellation to be linked to poverty reduction objectives and the acceptance that structural adjustment policies have failed to achieve lower levels of poverty.
WB/IMF roles
Analysis
Comments on the paper “Making The IMF’s Independent Evaluation Office (EVO) Operational&
The Bretton Woods Project welcomes the establishment of an EVO.
WB/IMF roles
Analysis
Partnerships For Development: A New World Bank Approach
The World Bank has produced a discussion paper, Partnership for Development: Proposed Actions for the World Bank, which presents a strategy for building ownership into the development process, developing partnerships between donors to fund government designed programmes and to make more effective use of aid resources (1998).
IFI governance
Analysis
The State in a Changing World
Critical analysis of the Bank’s 1997 World Development Report, The Role of the State. Written by Nicholas Hildyard, commissioned by the Bretton Woods Project
Private Sector
Analysis
The World Bank and the Private Sector
Explains and examines the World Bank Group’s approach to supporting private investment in developing countries through privatisation, guarantees and lending. Outlines critical perspectives on whether the Bank’s strategy will lead to poverty reduction and sustainable development (March 1997).
Conditionality
Analysis
Bank pilot in Bolivia fails to create “clear, structured space” for CSOs
The World Bank’s pilot of its Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF) in Bolivia, reflects both scepticism and a complete lack of involvement. How did this state of affairs come about? And are the prospects for the CDF really as bleak as this might suggest?
IFI governance
Analysis
The World Bank And The State: A Recipe For Change?
Bretton Woods Project-commissioned riposte to the World Bank’s World Development Report, The State in a Changing World. (March 1998).
Knowledge
Analysis
World Development reports: The Preparation Process
The World Bank’s World Development reports are written and marketed giving the impression that they convey broadly held views and contain objective research. Many civil society organisations feel, however, that they are selective and biased and that the Bank sees them largely as a tool for self-promotion and self-justification. Outlines proposals for clarifying and improving this situation (April 1998).
Conditionality
Analysis
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
In January 1999, Wolfensohn revealed the Comprehensive Development Framework, which frames his agenda for the Bank. This is a short examination of some of the issues raised by this announcement (July 1999).
Conditionality
Analysis
The IMF’s Final Frontier? Assessing “Second Generation” Reforms
The “second generation” reforms are aimed at implementing policies for the common good, particularly social policies that will help to alleviate poverty and provide more equal opportunity. It would appear that the IMF views itself no longer as simply an institution to achieve macroeconomic stabilisation objectives but is focused much more on structural issues, issues which have previously been the remit of the World Bank (1997).
Featured briefings
16 October 2024
The Bretton Woods Observer: Autumn 2024
16 October 2024
The lost call for international financial architecture reform in the G20
At the 80th anniversary of the World Bank and IMF, global civil society must maintain pressure on the Brazilian and South African G20 presidencies to ensure the forth Financing for Development Conference in 2025 results in urgently required international financial architecture reform.
16 October 2024
Sustainable development requires sustainable finance: why local currency financing is part of the solution
Multilateral development banks can reduce their dependence on hard currency lending and make local currency financing a central element of their developmental mandate.