This session examined issues thrown up by the Arab revolutions, including the fiscal, monetary, tax and investment policies being considered by governments facilitating, or hindering countries in the Arab and other regions in building an inclusive economy and supporting socioeconomic recovery, the impact on public expenditure for the strengthening of education, health, and other social sectors as well as the management of chronic and high unemployment and high food and fuel prices.
Macroeconomic policy
Social services
Background
Leveraging private finance with public money: Positive Innovation? Corporate Welfare?
This event explored how modalities to "leverage" the private sector are beginning to appear in different ways in the World Bank and donors' agenda, and the challenges they pose.
Environment
Background
CSO meeting with Ms. Ksenia Yudaeva, G20 sherpa, Russian Federation
This event featured a discussion between CSOs and the Russian Federation G20 sherpa covering topics including food & nutrition security, jobs and the post-2015 development agenda.
IFI governance
Background
After recent court decisions: how can sovereign debt workouts become fair, comprehensive and account
This session examines the challenges which recent court decisions pose to sovereign debt workouts that allow for burden-sharing and take into account the social development needs of debtor countries.
Private Sector
Background
Discussion on IMF jobs and growth policies
Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) sponsored discussion on macroeconomic policy in the Eurozone, and the challenges to restoring employment and growth.
Land
News
India complains Doing Business "not robust"
As an independent panel begun its review of the World Bank’s controversial Doing Business rankings, India’s public criticism of the rankings added weight to global governmental and civil society opposition.
IFI governance
News
BRICS challenge IFIs
Large middle-income countries jointly initiated alternatives to the World Bank and IMF in March, but advocates are not satisfied with either set of institutions. While challenge to the IMF has been welcomed, civil society actors fear that a new development bank would serve "vested interests" and could lead to "exploitation".
Conditionality
News
Democracy: "an enemy to the IMF"?
The legitimacy of IMF engagement with Middle East and North African nations and eurozone crisis countries continues to be heavily criticised.
Finance
News
G20 working on international financial architecture, while the IMF "to bury its head in the sand"?
The G20's agenda on the international financial architecture looks to tackle sovereign defaults, but not 'currency wars'.
Finance
Commentary
Cyprus - whose crisis?
The economic crisis in Cyprus erupted during the second cycle of the European recession of 2011 as a result of harsh austerity policies imposed since 2010 in Europe. It is a new crisis born of a failed response to the original European crisis.
Featured briefings
12 December 2024
The Bretton Woods Observer: Winter 2024
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.