Does one model fit all when it comes to the determinants of IMF programs? Certainly claims have been made by the IMF that capital account crisis (CAC) countries are discernibly different in terms of the characteristics that lead them to borrow from it, while other research has claimed that it is...

Latin American countries have been in the eye of economic and financial storms several times in recent years. Advice from the International Monetary Fund has consistently highlighted the need for sound fiscal policies and lower debt levels. But is public debt relevant? Following a brief...

The anouncement in October 1995 of an agreement with Peru marked the concluding stages of the commercial bank debt crisis tirggered by Mexico in August 1982. With its completion all major Latin American nations will have succeeded in exchanging partially defaulted bank loans into marketed bonds...

The political economy of currency taxation suggests that the idea will receive more support if it can be shown to make a significant contribution to offsetting the perceived inefficiencies of private international capital markets. This paper explores what can be expected from a currency tax in...

Recent financial crises seem to have led to the broad consensus that developing countries should steer clear of exchange rate regimes that lie anywhere between the two extremes or [corner solutions] of credibly fixed or flexible arrangements. But is this a reasonable position to adopt? Would...

Most analyses of the East Asian financial crisis have focused on its causes and the links between currency and banking crises. However a related question is what happens in the aftermath of a crisis? What factors determine the path of an economy in the post-devaluation phase? Does it swiftly...

Although the IMF presents itself as a monetary institution, it plays an important role in providing support to poor countries via its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. It is difficult to imagine more central development issues than poverty and growth. However, while there is a broad...

Does the involvement of the IMF and World Bank in developing countries and countries in transition help them to attract capital from other sources? Do the multilateral institutions exert a catalytic effect? While there is a strong body of opinion that claims that they do, the catalytic effect...

Many developing countries face deficiencies of domestic saving and foreign exchange. With foreign aid declining in real terms it becomes increasingly important to ask what they can do to attract private capital. Without capital inflows, shortages of external financing are likely to constitute an...