Episodes of sovereign default are typically associated with significant economic costs. The International Monetary Fund can help to mitigate these costs in a variety of ways, including by lending into arrears. Careful design of the broad policy framework governing the Fund's involvement can help...

The role of the Official Sector institutions as lenders in crisis situations has evolved over time, and, particularly in the context of the current euro area debt crisis, into something akin to a lender of last resort. Institutions like the International Monetary Fund regularly provide...