Making the Most of Bad Situations

Posted on December 13, 2011 by iMFdirect

Governments in low-income countries are having to deal with a lot of bad news these days. Slow growth in the advanced economies is dampening demand for their exports and affecting inflows of investment, aid, and remittances. Changes in credit conditions elsewhere influence the availability of trade finance. Volatility in commodity prices creates problems for both importers and exporters. Meanwhile, climactic and other natural disasters continue to occur at the local and regional level.

Filed under: Africa, concessional lending, Economic Crisis, IMF, International Monetary Fund, LICs, Low-income countries | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

Heartbreak and Hardship—Finding a Way Out for Fragile States

Posted on September 7, 2011 by iMFdirect

War-torn Iraq, quake-ravaged Haiti, conflict-devastated Sierra Leone. So many countries around the world face the legacy of terrible hardships that have left them scarred and fragile. Some have questioned whether the IMF has a meaningful role to play in these countries, but they couldn’t be more wrong.

A recent review found that the IMF has played an important positive role in fragile states. This doesn’t mean we always got it right. We can do better. There is plenty of scope to adapt how we engage in these countries; to be more flexible and deepen cooperation with other development partners.

In this post, Dominique Desruelle discusses a few ideas that we’ll be exploring—and discussing with stakeholders—in the months ahead, including at a high-level public seminar in Washington later this month.

Filed under: concessional lending, IMF, International Monetary Fund, LICs, Low-income countries | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

When Reality Doesn’t Bite—Misconceptions about the IMF and Social Spending

Posted on August 31, 2011 by iMFdirect

All too often we hear the claim that the programs the IMF supports in low-income countries hurt the most vulnerable by forcing cuts in social spending. This is a misconception. Our study concludes that, contrary to these claims, IMF-supported programs boost education and health spending in low-income countries for as long as countries are engaged with the IMF.

Filed under: concessional lending, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Low-income countries | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Help in the Neighborhood: ‘Just a Phone Call Away’

Posted on March 25, 2010 by iMFdirect

Regional technical assistance centers have gradually evolved to play a major role in IMF technical assistance. These centers, which are largely donor financed, have become important vehicles for helping countries carry out economic reforms. Their objective is to assist countries in designing and implementing their poverty reduction and broader developmental strategies and help countries integrate into the world economy.

Filed under: Africa, Asia, concessional lending, Economic Crisis, International Monetary Fund, Latin America, Low-income countries | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

More Asian Geese Ready to Fly

Posted on March 22, 2010 by iMFdirect

The emergence of successive waves of new growth drivers not only benefits Asia, through the creation of trade and investment linkages and greater Asian integration, the formation of North-South economic linkages means wider benefits accrue.

Filed under: Asia, concessional lending, Economic Crisis, Globalization, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund, LICs, Low-income countries, Multilateral Cooperation | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

This Time It’s Different

Posted on March 12, 2010 by iMFdirect

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn assesses progress in Africa and pulls together some common themes from his visit to Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia.

Filed under: Africa, concessional lending, Debt Relief, Economic Crisis, Financial Crisis, Globalization, growth, International Monetary Fund, Low-income countries, Multilateral Cooperation | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Africa Is Back

Posted on March 9, 2010 by iMFdirect

In the wake of the global financial crisis, there is a fresh energy in Sub-Saharan Africa–and a broad consensus on the road ahead. Above all, there is the strong sense that Africa’s destiny will be driven by Africans, not by others.

Filed under: Africa, concessional lending, Economic Crisis, Financial Crisis, Fiscal Stimulus, growth, IMF, LICs, Low-income countries | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

IMF—Delivering on Promises to Africa

Posted on March 7, 2010 by iMFdirect

At a conference in Tanzania a year ago, the IMF committed to improving its policies and operational approaches in Africa and pledged to ensure Africa’s concerns would be taken into account during the meetings of the Group of Twenty (G-20) industrialized and emerging market countries and be an advocate for Africa. Now, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, on a visit Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia–his third trip to the region in the past 12 months–presents the scorecard of how the IMF has delivered on its promises to the continent.

Filed under: Africa, concessional lending, Economic Crisis, Financial Crisis, Fiscal Stimulus, growth, IMF, LICs, Low-income countries, recession | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Why We Need a “Marshall Plan” for Haiti

Posted on January 22, 2010 by iMFdirect

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn proposes a “Marshall Plan” for Haiti to help rebuild the shattered Caribbean nation after the earthquake.

Filed under: concessional lending, IMF, International Monetary Fund, LICs, Low-income countries, Multilateral Cooperation | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

IMF Helping Africa Through the Crisis

Posted on September 10, 2009 by iMFdirect

By Antoinette Sayeh I believe that Africa’s needs must be fully reflected in any global response to this unprecedented recession. With similar intentions, leading policymakers and stakeholders in Africa gathered in Tanzania last March to discuss how to work with the IMF on this. Under the leadership of President Kikwete and IMF Managing Director Strauss-Kahn, [...]

Filed under: Africa, concessional lending, Economic Crisis, International Monetary Fund, Low-income countries | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments »

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