The Bretton Woods Project review of the most important developments at the World Bank and IMF in 2013.
IFI Lending
Finance
News
IMF secures funding for LICs
Countries, amounting to 90 per cent of voting rights, have given agreement to transfer their IMF allocations from gold sales to low income countries.
Finance
News
World Bank trust funds database criticised
A World Bank website purporting to give more transparency on Bank group trust fund datasets has been labelled by a freedom of information website are not reader friendly.
Finance
News
Romania's new IMF loan conditionality criticised
The IMF has approved Romania's precautionary stand-by agreement, but critics have questioned the pervasiveness of structural conditionality in the IMF's advice.
Social services
Commentary
World Bank funded private schools in Pakistan
Pakistan’s education system has recently received enormous global attention however the increase in World Bank-backed investment in low cost private schools threatens to undermine recent government moves and the campaign to provide all children with free compulsory education.
Conditionality
Analysis
IMF & Troika: a big, fat Greek divorce?
The IMF's involvement in the Troika is again being questioned due to Greek loan unsustainability and lack of consensus amongst the Troika members, while citizens continue to challenge the conditionality of the programme.
IFI governance
Background
Subsidy reform in Arab countries: Reflection on IMF recommendations
New America Foundation civil society event on subsidy reform in Arab countries, held in the civil society forum of the 2013 IMF/World Bank annual meetings
Finance
Background
Economic impact of IMF programmes in low-income countries: civil society forum
Notes from a civil society forum on economic impact of IMF programmes in low-income countries, 10 October 2013
Knowledge
Background
IMF forecasting models
Forecasting models are crucial to how the Fund performs its role as lender and global economic monitor, but the assumptions underpinning these models are frequently derided as unrealistic.
IFI governance
Analysis
World Bank Group strategy: who benefits?
A new World Bank Group strategy will be signed off at the 2013 annual meetings. It prioritises greater use of the private sector and “transformational engagements”, but criticisms continue over the Bank’s desire to tell countries what to do.
