Notes from the 24 April Civil Society Policy Forum session, titled IFC Sustainability Framework Review: a pivotal opportunity to protect human rights and the environment.
Surveillance
Conditionality
Analysis
Who’s afraid of the grassroots? IMF policymaking in the era of social discontent
IMF proposes a grassroots communication strategy to convince the public of the need for further austerity measures as publications reveal fear that social unrest will make reforms ‘unimplementable’.
Finance
News
Civil society calls for public comment period on new IMF guidance note for staff on surveillance
CSOs write an open letter to IMF management calling for increased public scrutiny of Fund's operationalisation of 2021 Comprehensive Surveillance Review.
Private Sector
News
Big banks & IMF: No structural reform
The IMF rings more warnings about the costs of having an oversized financial sector, but fails to recommend stronger controls on the banking sector.
Finance
Analysis
The IMF's Comprehensive Surveillance Review: A bungled attempt at meeting the moment
Review maintains inadequate and inconsistent approach to economic and gender inequality, as well as climate change.
Finance
Background
IMF surveillance
This Inside the Institutions looks at IMF surveillance and explores its role in influencing countries' macroeconomic policies .
IFI governance
News
IEO announces new evaluation on IMF crisis response
The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) announces new evaluation on the IMF's response to the global financial crisis
IFI governance
Analysis
Annual meetings 2013: communiqués coverage
Detailed analysis of the communiqués from the 2013 World Bank and IMF annual meetings.
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.
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
9 June 2025
New data reveal World Bank DPF ‘climate finance’ carries strong private sector bias, undermining a just transition
New BWP briefing finds the World Bank counted 70 per cent of energy-sector reforms in Development Policy Financing as having 'climate co-benefits' between 2018-2023 - but most of these promoted a private-led energy transition.
15 April 2025
The Bretton Woods Observer: Spring 2025
2 April 2025