As Jordan is engulfed in social unrest and political upheaval, questions are raised around the relationship between IMF conditionality and trends in instability.
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Middle East & North Africa
Conditionality
Analysis
Pro-poor or anti-poor? The World Bank and IMF’s approach to social protection
Stephen Kidd critiques Bretton Woods Institutions' approach to targeted social protection systems, arguing the poor lose out the most.
Conditionality
Commentary
Tunisians take to the streets over IMF-imposed austerity
Despite claiming to no longer support austerity, the IMF has imposed damaging cutbacks on the people of Tunisia as part of its loan conditionality, leading to widespread discontent on Tunisian streets.
Accountability
Analysis
The IMF in insecure fragile states: why being absent should no longer be an option
While there is scope to improve IMF operations in all fragile states, ahead of the forthcoming publication of the IMF IEO review of IMF work in fragile states, there is one fundamental change it must make to transform its effectiveness in fragile states: wherever it is possible, it must be present. No country should be left out.
Private Sector
Analysis
How the Bank’s push for microcredit failed the poor
Originally created to help the poor escape poverty and deprivation, the World Bank became the most important advocate for the commercialised microcredit model. Yet, critics argued it undermined the chances of sustainable and equitable development to create a poverty trap of historic proportions.
Rights
Analysis
The IMF, Gender Equality and Labour
BWP briefing explores IMF's labour market policies in the context of women in the informal economy and suggests they will not contribute to decreasing inequalities.
Gender
News
The World Bank’s new Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative: Recycling a broken model?
World Bank launches new We-Fi fund for women entrepeneurs, but concerns raised that fund won't reach poorest women.
Conditionality
Commentary
Protecting the victories of the ‘IMF Spring’
The IMF's recognition of the importance of inequality is under threat. Concerns have been raised about complacency and even the reversal of the IMF's recent progress on inequality, while IMF staff continue to operationalise new policy advice on inequality in surveillance and lending programmes.
Other news
Conditionality
Background
The IMF and World Bank policies and the Arab world’s transition economies
Notes from the Civil Society Policy Forum Session at the 2017 World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings on IMF and World Bank programmes in the MENA Region.
Conditionality
News
IMF approves new Jordan loan
New IMF loan programme to Jordan agreed with gendered conditions, while civil society express concerns about human rights and impacts on the lives of women.
Accountability
Background
The Syrian migration crisis
Notes from a meeting at the IMF/World Bank CSO Forum at the 2016 Spring meetings discussion the socio-economic impacts of the Syrian crisis, the outgoing flow of migration and the World Bank’s model on how to tackle these issues following its new report.
Conditionality
Background
IMF and World Bank’s Influence on Economic Policy Making in Developing Countries
Notes from a meeting at the IMF/World Bank CSO Forum at the 2016 Spring meetings, evaluating how well the World Bank and IMF have done on respecting the country ownership principle ten years after its international acceptance.
Conditionality
News
World Bank and IMF prepare Tunisia loan programmes
As the IMF initiates negotiations with Tunisia, concerns have been expressed that renewed reforms will not be inclusive or target deep-seated economic and social issues.
IFI governance
Background
Recommended resources on the World Bank and IMF 2015
The best books and papers on the World Bank and IMF from 2015.
Conditionality
News
New BWP report on the IMF in MENA region
BWP report finds few signs of IMF policy-change in the MENA region post 2011.
IFI governance
Background
After SCOTUS: Next steps in sovereign debt restructuring
Notes of a meeting on sovereign debt restructuring after SCOTUS at the World Bank-IMF annual meetings 2014
