UN

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.

6 December 2017

Rights

Background

Are governments and the Bretton Woods Institutions fighting inequality?

Notes of a 2017 IMF and World Bank spring meetings session on the BWIs and inequality, 21 April

21 April 2017 | Minutes

Knowledge

Analysis

Chinese growth’s contribution to poverty reduction challenges World Bank and IMF neoliberal policies

CEPR report found that two-thirds of extreme poverty during past 25 years took place in China, which did not follow World Bank and IMF neoliberal policies.

6 December 2017

Finance

News

IMF and Bank “intensifying” tax work: Possible progress or consolidating control?

The World Bank and IMF are intensifying their work on tax under the Platform for Collaboration on Tax, yet civil society is cautious about embracing tax policy advice coming from the Bretton Woods Institutions.

6 December 2017

Finance

Analysis

Debt sustainability review: Tinkering around the edges while crises loom

Despite making some positive changes, the IMF and World Bank Debt Sustainability Framework review has ignored fundamental issues, as risk of new crises persist.

6 December 2017 | Guest analysis

IFI governance

Background

Great expectations: Is the IMF turning words into action on inequality?

Notes from the 2017 World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings session on the IMF's approach to inequality, 13 October.

13 October 2017 | Minutes

Gender

Background

Contradicting commitments: Why fiscal space matters for women and work

Notes from the 2017 World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings session on the IMF's approach to fiscal space, women and work, 11 October

11 October 2017 | Minutes

Rights

Analysis

The IMF, Gender Equality and Labour

BWP briefing explores IMF's labour market policies in the context of women in the informal economy and suggests they will not contribute to decreasing inequalities.

2 October 2017 | Briefings

Rights

Analysis

UN Independent Expert reports on World Bank and IMF human rights performance

UN Independent Expert publishes two reports on the World Bank and IMF human rights performance, finding the institutions must be more than a "fig leaf" for the status quo and step up their human rights commitments.

27 September 2017 | At Issue

Conditionality

Analysis

The IMF and Gender Equality: A Compendium of Feminist Macroeconomic Critiques

The Bretton Woods Project published an edited volume on the gendered impacts of some of the most commonly-prescribed macroeconomic policies of the IMF, covering tax, expenditure and labour policies.

27 September 2017 | Briefings

Social services

News

IEO finds IMF follows "nebulous standard" on social protection engagement

IMF’s Independent Evaluation Office published evaluation on IMF and social protection and found that the IMF’s targeting approach does not ‘mesh well’ with UN’s human-rights-based approach.

27 September 2017

Finance

Analysis

Development to the rescue of finance – the Bank’s 'cascade' approach

World Bank unveils cascade concept that privileges private over public finance. De-risking in order to attract private sector investments threatens to shift risks to public sector and result in third wave of privatisation.

3 July 2017