An analysis of IMF conditionality

Conditionality is the most controversial aspect of the IMF's policies. It has been said to be intrusive and coercive and considered to disregard effects on growth, employment and income distribution. In the 1990s, following a sharp increase in the number of conditions required by programs, Fund...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Buira, A
Format: Working paper
Published: University of Oxford 2002
_version_ 1826286880616873984
author Buira, A
author_facet Buira, A
author_sort Buira, A
collection OXFORD
description Conditionality is the most controversial aspect of the IMF's policies. It has been said to be intrusive and coercive and considered to disregard effects on growth, employment and income distribution. In the 1990s, following a sharp increase in the number of conditions required by programs, Fund conditionality became increasingly ineffective. The paper reviews the nature and purpose of conditionality; its origin and evolution over time. It considers whether conditionality is required to safeguard the resources of the Fund. It looks into the reasons for the increase in structural conditionality, relates the increase in conditionality with the marked fall in the rate of compliance with Fund programs and with the relative decline in Fund resources. The paper notes the revision of conditionality recently undertaken at the instance of the Managing Director and considers progress on that front. Finally, certain difficult political questions arising from conditionality are posed and some suggestions presented for increasing country ownership of programs, the key to making conditionality more acceptable and effective.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T01:50:17Z
format Working paper
id oxford-uuid:99dc59d7-5f63-4099-866f-e02499ea1aa5
institution University of Oxford
last_indexed 2024-03-07T01:50:17Z
publishDate 2002
publisher University of Oxford
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:99dc59d7-5f63-4099-866f-e02499ea1aa52022-03-27T00:17:17ZAn analysis of IMF conditionalityWorking paperhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_8042uuid:99dc59d7-5f63-4099-866f-e02499ea1aa5Bulk import via SwordSymplectic ElementsUniversity of Oxford2002Buira, AConditionality is the most controversial aspect of the IMF's policies. It has been said to be intrusive and coercive and considered to disregard effects on growth, employment and income distribution. In the 1990s, following a sharp increase in the number of conditions required by programs, Fund conditionality became increasingly ineffective. The paper reviews the nature and purpose of conditionality; its origin and evolution over time. It considers whether conditionality is required to safeguard the resources of the Fund. It looks into the reasons for the increase in structural conditionality, relates the increase in conditionality with the marked fall in the rate of compliance with Fund programs and with the relative decline in Fund resources. The paper notes the revision of conditionality recently undertaken at the instance of the Managing Director and considers progress on that front. Finally, certain difficult political questions arising from conditionality are posed and some suggestions presented for increasing country ownership of programs, the key to making conditionality more acceptable and effective.
spellingShingle Buira, A
An analysis of IMF conditionality
title An analysis of IMF conditionality
title_full An analysis of IMF conditionality
title_fullStr An analysis of IMF conditionality
title_full_unstemmed An analysis of IMF conditionality
title_short An analysis of IMF conditionality
title_sort analysis of imf conditionality
work_keys_str_mv AT buiraa ananalysisofimfconditionality
AT buiraa analysisofimfconditionality