IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn called recent agreements reached on IMF governance reform "historic". However, a closer analysis reveals that the shifts in votes are smaller than claimed and though the basic power structure of the IMF will better incorporate large emerging markets, it will also continue to see dominance of the US and Europe.
Voting rights
IFI governance
Background
Investment lending reform
A briefing by World Bank staff on the investment lending reform, 9 October 2010
IFI governance
News
Annual meetings 2010: communiqués coverage
Coverage of the communiqu
IFI governance
News
IMF boardroom crisis: Europeans stubbornly cling to chairs
IMF governance reform was thrown into disarray in August by a fight between the US and Europe over reducing European board seats. Other promised reforms, including to voting shares and leadership selection appear to be going backwards.
IFI governance
News
IMF crisis lending reform faces fundamental critiques
While the IMF has given the green light to new crisis lending windows, critics argue that it should focus instead on other ways of preventing crises.
IFI governance
News
IEO invites input on IMF evaluation topics
The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the IMF issued a list of possible topics for future evaluations of the IMF and invited input from civil society and external stakeholders.
IFI governance
Analysis
IFI governance reform
Much as developing countries have often taken the approach that "no deal is better than a bad deal" at the WTO, a strong joint negotiating position would leverage larger gains in the IMF governance reform process due to be concluded by the end of 2010. Possible gains from a tough negotiating position include a rewriting of the IMF quota formula, double majority voting, more developing country seats on the board, and an end to the US veto. Limited change at the Bank highlights potential pitfalls.
IFI governance
News
UK NGO letter on IMF governance reform
We are writing to raise our concerns about the limited nature of the quota reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) currently under discussion, and to urge you to push for more meaningful changes to IMF governance.
Accountability
Background
Meeting of UK NGOs and Susanna Moorehead, UK Executive Director to the World Bank, and Rachel Turner
Notes of the meeting
IFI governance
News
Governments agree $86.2 billion boost to World Bank capital
Shareholder governments have agreed an $86.2 billion boost to the capital that guarantees the lending of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, the World Bank's middle-income country lending arm).
Featured briefings
12 December 2024
The Bretton Woods Observer: Winter 2024
12 December 2024
Missing in action: accountability is noticeably absent from the World Bank Group’s new Corporate Scorecard
The Corporate Scorecard’s accountability gap is symptomatic of a broader failure on the part of the WBG to fully internalise, integrate and learn from the work of its accountability mechanisms.
16 October 2024