IMF Conditionality

IMF Conditionality
Author: John Williamson
Publisher: MIT Press (MA)
Total Pages: 708
Release: 1983
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

The twenty-one contributions in this book assess the controversy surrounding the Fund and provide judgments about the criteria for Fund lending which should help readers understand and analyze both its ongoing role in smoothing adjustment to international payments imbalances and its currently critical position in responding to the debt crisis.

Structural Conditionality in IMF-Supported Programs

Structural Conditionality in IMF-Supported Programs
Author: International Monetary Fund. Independent Evaluation Office
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 52
Release: 2008-04-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1589067029

This evaluation examines factors influencing the effectiveness of the IMF structural conditionality in bringing about structural reform. It assesses the impact of the streamlining initiative launched in 2000 and of the 2002 Conditionality Guidelines. These guidelines aimed at reducing the volume and scope of structural conditionality by requiring “parsimony” in the use of conditions and stipulated that conditions must be “critical” to the achievement of the program goals. The evaluation finds that during the period 1995–2004, there was extensive use of structural conditionality in IMF-supported programs, with an average of 17 conditions per program/year.

Conditionality in Evolving Monetary Policy Regimes

Conditionality in Evolving Monetary Policy Regimes
Author: International Monetary Fund
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 61
Release: 2014-05-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1498343694

With single-digit inflation and substantial financial deepening, developing countries are adopting more flexible and forward-looking monetary policy frameworks and ascribing a greater role to policy interest rates and inflation objectives. While some countries have adopted formal inflation targeting regimes, others have developed frameworks with greater target flexibility to accommodate changing money demand, use of policy rates to signal the monetary policy stance, and implicit inflation targets.

How to Gain the Most from Structural Conditionality of IMF-Supported Programs

How to Gain the Most from Structural Conditionality of IMF-Supported Programs
Author: Mr. Jochen R. Andritzky
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 56
Release: 2021-05-13
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1513572695

Structural conditionality of IMF-supported programs is designed to support structural reforms by countries borrowing from the IMF. Taking stock of program conditions and their implementation, this paper finds that conditionality focuses on fiscal, monetary and financial issues—areas where IMF expertise is strong—and shies away from structural areas such as labor or product market reforms. Hence, tackling deep-rooted structural issues during IMF-supported programs often remained elusive. To ensure countries gain most from IMF conditionality, the paper outlines an evaluation matrix for prioritizing and designing structural reforms, and applies it to case studies.

Financial Sector Crisis and Restructuring

Financial Sector Crisis and Restructuring
Author: Carl-Johan Lindgren
Publisher:
Total Pages: 103
Release: 1999
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781557758712

An IMF paper reviewing the policy responses of Indonesia, Korea and Thailand to the 1997 Asian crisis, comparing the actions of these three countries with those of Malaysia and the Philippines. Although all judgements are still tentative, important lessons can be learned from the experiences of the last two years.

International Monetary Fund Annual Report 2021

International Monetary Fund Annual Report 2021
Author: International Monetary Fund. Secretary's Department
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 74
Release: 2021-10-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1513568817

A recovery is underway, but the economic fallout from the global pandemic could be with us for years to come. With the crisis exacerbating prepandemic vulnerabilities, country prospects are diverging. Nearly half of emerging market and developing economies and some middle-income countries are now at risk of falling further behind, undoing much of the progress made toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The IMF Approach to Economic Stabilization

The IMF Approach to Economic Stabilization
Author: Mr.Michael Mussa
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 43
Release: 1999-07-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1451852746

This paper explains the IMF approach to economic stabilization. It argues that a Fund-supported program is a process, comprising six broadly defined phases, that evolves along a multiplicity of potential pathways. The paper discusses the three-pronged approach to stabilization at the core of all IMF-supported programs, stresses the iterative character of “financial programming,” and explains the rationale for setting quantitative performance criteria for fiscal and monetary policy in IMF-supported arrangements. A main theme is that IMF-supported programs contain a great deal of flexibility to respond both to differences in circumstances and to changes in conditions in individual cases.

Expenditure Conditionality in IMF-supported Programs

Expenditure Conditionality in IMF-supported Programs
Author: Mr.Sanjeev Gupta
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 31
Release: 2018-12-07
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1484389077

This paper studies the impact of expenditure conditionality in IMF programs on the composition of public spending. A granular dataset on different government expenditure conditions covering 115 countries for the 1992-2016 period is compiled. The results support the view that while conditionality on specific elements of spending could help achieve a program’s short-term objectives, it is structural conditionality which delivers lasting benefits. Structural public financial management conditionality (such as on budget execution and control) has proven to be effective in boosting the long-term level of education, health, and public investment expenditures. The results further indicate that conditionality on raising such spending may come at the expense of other expenditures. Finally, the successful implementation (and not mere existence) of the conditionality is crucial for improved outcomes. These findings are relevant for policy makers targeting achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Does conditionality in IMF-supported programs promote revenue reform?

Does conditionality in IMF-supported programs promote revenue reform?
Author: Ernesto Crivelli
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2014-11-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1484380045

This paper studies whether revenue conditionality in Fund-supported programs had any impact on the revenue performance of 126 low- and middle-income countries during 1993-2013. The results indicate that such conditionality had a positive impact on tax revenue, with strongest improvement felt on taxes on goods and services, including the VAT. Revenue conditionality matters more for low-income countries, particularly those where revenue ratios are below the group average. Moreover, revenue conditionality appears to be more effective when targeted to a specific tax. These results hold after controlling for potential endogeneity, sample selection bias, and when revenues are adjusted for economic cycle.