Growing international financial integration has implied greater threat of contagion across borders, requiring quicker response to crises. However, financial—and trade—integration have been accompanied by the spread of democracy and political participation. Do more voices in the political...

The more severe a financial crisis, the greater has been the likelihood of its management under an IMFsupported program and shorter the time from crisis onset to program initiation. Political links to the United States have raised program likelihood but have prompted faster response mainly for...

The Great Recession that started in 2008 has drawn constant comparisons with the Great Depression that unfolded in 1929. This paper documents how the response of policy makers in the current episode has been markedly different from the one observed in the 1920s and 1930s and to what extent this...