The international financial system’s reliance upon credit ratings – usually based on dubious premises – needs urgent rethinking.
Capital flows
Finance
Analysis
What is left of the rise of the South?
While the recent reforms to the IMF and World Bank governance reforms and the establishment of new Southern-led IFIs are symbolically important, they are thus far not a rupture with the Western-dominated international financial architecture.
Finance
News
IMF reopening case for capital controls?
An IMF policy paper on the international monetary system considers its future policy on capital controls and proposes a review of the IMF's institutional view on the liberalisation and management of capital flows.
Finance
Analysis
UN Financing for Development: the Fund and Bank's role & influence
This briefing analyses the role of the Bank and Fund in the UN Financing for Development negotiations.
Finance
Background
Financial tremors in developing countries: is another earthquake on the way?
Aldo Caliari Monetary policy changes in rich world are now starting – the reversal of…
Finance
Analysis
The IFIs in 2013: year in review
The Bretton Woods Project review of the most important developments at the World Bank and IMF in 2013.
Private Sector
Analysis
Follow the money
New Bretton Woods Project report reveals World Bank Group channelling crucial development resources to banks instead of directly investing in pro-poor projects.
Conditionality
Analysis
IMF blames the victims as markets thow another taper tantrum
As emerging markets suffer renewed bout of financial volatility, risk of worse to come as IMF struggles to provide even-handed global policy coordination.
IFI governance
Analysis
Annual meetings 2013: communiqués coverage
Detailed analysis of the communiqués from the 2013 World Bank and IMF annual meetings.
Finance
Analysis
IMF gets emerging markets wrong, again
The Fund has had to conduct another embarrassing “U-turn” to warn of the growing risks to the stability of developing countries, while cautiously accepting the need for capital controls in principle, but not necessarily in practice.
Featured briefings
14 December 2020
Gambling with our lives: Global emergencies expose consequences of decades of IMF and World Bank policies
Market-led policy approaches increasingly used to deal with both climate and health emergencies are failing to protect those most vulnerable.
10 December 2020
The Bretton Woods Observer: Winter 2020
12 October 2020