The 2024 World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings, taking place in the context of the institutions’ 80th anniversary, offered little substantive reform despite multiple ongoing organisational processes and reviews.
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Independent Evaluation Office (IEO)
IFI governance
Analysis
Annual Meetings 2024 Preamble: BWIs’ management and key shareholders stand in the way of transformative governance reforms despite ‘evolution’ rhetoric
Unconvincing World Bank Evolution Roadmap reforms and IMF’s struggle to mainstream climate and gender symptomatic of wider malaise.
Accountability
Commentary
The IMF is changing and needs an independent ombudsman
The Fund's expansion of its work into the macro-stability challenges posed by pandemics, climate change, gender discrimination and inequality increases the risks that it may negatively impact communities and individuals.
Private Sector
Analysis
How IMF and World Bank support for financialisation undermines human rights
IMF and World Bank policies and programmes work in tandem to expand and deepen financialisation, exacerbating the inequality crisis and harming human rights, financial stability and democratic governance
Finance
Analysis
Debt crisis prevention: We need to talk about capital controls
IMF's position on capital controls must be revised to recognise that they are an essential and permanent macroeconomic tool necessary to increase countries' policy autonomy and enable them to act counter-cyclically and to prevent future debt crises.
IFI governance
News
Independent Evaluation Office downplays IMF’s promotion of austerity whilst civil society warns of further cuts
Concerns over excessive austerity waved away, despite IEO admission that protection of low-income and vulnerable groups had fallen short.
Finance
News
Evaluation finds IMF advice on capital controls lacking empirical support
IMF’s Independent Evaluation Office suggests that Fund guidelines are too restrictive and recommends a refresh in light of recent experience and research.
Conditionality
Analysis
Structural adjustment is dead, long live structural adjustment
As Fund publishes its first comprehensive review of conditionality since the financial crisis, questions arise about the Fund's capacity to create economic stability and the rise of structural conditions.
Other news
IFI governance
News
IMF's Independent Evaluation Office appoints new director and releases 2023 work plan
Changes in leadership have been announced at the WB Independent Evaluation Group and IMF Independent Evaluation Office. Furthermore, the IMF IEO published its 2023 Work plan introducing two new governance evaluations of the IMF’s mandate and its Exceptional Access Policy.
Environment
Background
Climate change and the Covid-19 recovery – the role of the IMF in building back better
Notes from the Civil Society Policy Forum session on 28 September.
Social services
News
CSOs express concern about IMF’s “strongly divergent” social protection approach
Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors submits letter to the IMF expressing concerns about impacts of Fund's policies on social protection.
Accountability
News
IEO request for input in future evaluations
The IMF’s Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) is requesting input on topics for its future evaluations.
Accountability
Background
Independent evaluation at the IMF: Role, recent work and future agenda
Notes from 2017 World Bank and IMF spring meetings session of IEO and its future work programme,
IFI governance
Background
Recommended resources on the World Bank and IMF 2016
The Bretton Woods Project's selection of the best books, reports and other resources on the World Bank and IMF from 2016.
Conditionality
Background
IMF and World Bank’s Influence on Economic Policy Making in Developing Countries
Notes from a meeting at the IMF/World Bank CSO Forum at the 2016 Spring meetings, evaluating how well the World Bank and IMF have done on respecting the country ownership principle ten years after its international acceptance.
IFI governance
News
IEO report criticises IMF policy recommendations
Independent Evaluation Office October report on the IMF's response to the financial and economic crisis criticises the Fund's recommended monetary and fiscal policy advice.
