In this paper, we examine the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in maintaining the access of emerging market economies to international capital markets. We find evidence that both macroeconomic aggregates and capital flows improve following the adoption of an IMF programme, although...

Qualitative accounts have long emphasized the level of interest rates in the advanced industrial countries as a determinant of capital flows to emerging markets and spreads on external debt. Curiously, econometric studies relying on disaggregated data have lent little support to this hypothesis....

This paper updates earlier findings concerning the impact of collective-action clauses on borrowing costs. It has been argued that only in recent quarters have investors focused on the presence of these provisions, and that, given the international financial institutions' newfound resolve to...

The protracted decline in output volatility – the Great Moderation – began to reach its limits by the mid-1990s, and volatility even showed a mild rise in some countries. Domestic shocks did not typically rise but we find that they did spread more rapidly across borders. One reason for the...