International Monetary Fund. Policy Development and Review Dept.'s Books

This paper responds to the Board’s call for a review of the Fund’s role in the G-20 Mutual Assessment Process (MAP) after about a year of implementation. The review covers the period from December 2009 to the April 2011 meeting of the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in Washington. It considers the Fund’s inputs against the background of the evolving MAP and discusses expectations for this work going forward. The paper does not review the G-20 MAP itself. The implications of broader G-20 Fund cooperation for the Fund’s own surveillance will be discussed in the forthcoming TSR.

The first part of this paper lays out the process of program design and briefly describes some of the analytical tools--including the financial programming framework, the balance sheet approach, and the debt sustainability template--employed by Fund country teams in advising national authorities on policy formulation. The second part of paper seeks to assess how well this process works in practice.

As countries design and implement macroprudential policies, they face the challenge of determining what—if any—changes need to be made to their legal and institutional framework to ensure that these policies are effective. Based on a review of experience, it is clear that there are a variety of approaches that can be taken by members, in light of the legal constraints and institutional preferences of each country. Whichever approach is followed, a number of issues need to be addressed when designing legislation in this area, both with respect to the substantive legal provisions and the allocation of institutional responsibilities. As background to ”Key Aspects of Macroprudential Policy“, this paper provides an overview of these legal and institutional issues, while recognizing that macroprudential policy is an area that is still evolving.

protracted global uncertainty combined with frequent episodes of capital flow volatility have intensified demand for liquidity support. In response to calls from the IMFC and the G20, the Fund has identified gaps in the global financial safety net (GFSN) and the Fund’s lending toolkit for crisis prevention, including insufficient coverage against liquidity pressures resulting from volatile capital flows. The proposals in this paper draw on the previous Fund work on the adequacy of the GFSN, the review of the Fund’s current toolkit for crisis prevention, and extensive consultations with the membership. The review of the FCL concludes that the FCL has been effective in providing precautionary support against external tail risks. Successor FCL arrangements and associated access levels have been in line with the assessment of external risks and potential balance of payments needs. However, there is scope to strengthen the transparency and predictability of the qualification framework by adding indicator-based thresholds to complement and inform judgment. To enhance crisis resilience while improving the Fund’s toolkit coherence and resource use, the paper proposes three complementary reforms: The establishment of a Short-term Liquidity Swap to provide renewable and reliable liquidity support against potential short-term moderate volatility of capital flows. The proposed instrument is for members with very strong fundamentals and economic policies, and tailored to improve reliability and appeal to users. The use of a core set of indicators with thresholds to guide judgment in FCL qualification. This will improve predictability and transparency while keeping the standards unchanged. The elimination of the PLL to maintain a streamlined and coherent toolkit, given the low use of the PLL, likely reflecting issues of tiering with the FCL. The paper also discusses possible reforms of the current commitment fee policy to promote a more balanced use of Fund resources. Possible options include increasing the commitment fee at high access levels or introducing a new time-based commitment fee.

This review assesses the experience gained to date in carrying out the longer-term program engagement (LTPE) policy and preparing the ex post assessments (EPAs). It discusses the main characteristics of LTPE members and the findings of the EPAs, analyzes the role of the EPAs in the Fund’s due diligence, and provides recommendations for improving their effectiveness.

The paper is organized as follows: Section II provides a cross-country overview of the economic conditions, including the composition of sovereign debt and its dynamics prevailing prior to the debt operations, and a discussion of the scope and outcomes—in terms of the debt relief provided by creditors—of the debt restructurings. Section III analyzes the debt profile, liquidity position, DSAs and accompanying stress tests, and an EWS to assess whether debt sustainability has been restored in each country case. Conclusions are set out in Section IV.

The Fund has responded to a number of recent challenges facing its members by stepping up its work on trade. The Fund’s trade agenda has been shaped by both Executive Board guidance and demands on missions. The present report assesses the Fund’s priorities in the trade area, takes stock of its work, and reviews the Fund’s collaboration and division of labor with other institutions.

This paper explores how the Fund's instruments and practices might be adapted to support sound policies in low-income members, in particular those that do not have a need or want to use Fund resources.

This paper raises and discusses issues related to how the Fund provides financial assistance to its members. It is part of the strategic review to ensure the Fund remains relevant and effective. The objective is not to increase Fund lending, but to make sure the Fund has the right instruments and policies to help all of its members—with appropriate protection of Fund resources—as they integrate into a world of growing and increasingly complex cross-border flows. Other institutions (including major central banks and the World Bank) also are retooling their lending instruments and in the process grappling with similar issues. The paper offers a high-level view of the issues and does not make specific policy proposals. Policy proposals will be presented in follow-up papers, some of which are planned for Board discussion later in 2008.

in the Fund’s work stream on the Adequacy of the Global Financial Safety Net (GFSN). The paper follows the Executive Board’s discussion of the Adequacy of the Global Financial Safety Net—Review of the Flexible Credit Line and Precautionary and Liquidity Line, and Proposals for Toolkit Reform on June 30, 2017 (the "June paper"),1 and presents revised reform proposals in light of Directors’ views. In the absence of sufficient Executive Board support for a new liquidity facility, the paper proposes to retain the Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL). It also proposes to introduce a Time-Based Commitment Fee (TBCF) in light of many Directors’ support for this feature. 2. This work is part of the Fund’s broader work stream to strengthen the GFSN . As such, it complements the new non-financing Policy Coordination Instrument and operational principles and framework for future Fund engagement with Regional Financing Arrangements.2 3. The paper is organized as follows. Section II lays out the revised set of reform proposals. Section III sets forth issues for discussion, and proposes decisions to (i) complete the review of the Flexible Credit Line (FCL) and the PLL; and (ii) introduce a TBCF. The paper also includes an Annex that describes a planned revision to the presentation of the Fund’s Forward Commitment Capacity (FCC) to provide a breakdown between precautionary and other Fund commitments.

This paper reviews the Fund’s policy on multiple currency practices (MCPs). There remain strong economic and legal reasons to retain a policy on MCPs. The over-arching aim of the review is to make the policy and its application more effective. Based on this review, the paper proposes initial considerations for reforming features of the policy that have created challenges. • Clarifying the concept of “official action” to focus on measures that segment FX markets. • Eliminating potentiality. • Updating the threshold for permissible FX spreads. • Adjusting approval policies. • Reviewing links with capital transactions. • Considering merits of a remedial framework.

The Board completed its last review of access policy in February 2008 (2008 Access Policy Review). At that time, while some Directors saw the need for an increase in the limits on normal access to Fund resources, most Directors supported maintaining the access limits in the credit tranches and under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the separate overall limits on access to resources in the General Resources Account (GRA) at the present level of 100 percent of quota on an annual basis and 300 percent on a cumulative basis. During the 2008 Spring Meetings, the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) encouraged the Executive Board to consider raising access limits. In doing so, the IMFC recognized that emerging market and developing countries are not immune to a broadening of the problems in financial markets and looked forward to reviewing progress at its next meeting. A fresh look at access limits is warranted in light of the broader review of the Fund’s lending framework which is underway, and to take account of the April 28, 2008 agreement on a second round of ad hoc quota increases under the quota and voice reform.

Review the quality of the Fund staff’s analysis and policy advice on exchange rate issues. The Fund is sometimes criticized for not taking a sufficiently clear position on several exchange rate issues, ranging from the assessment of the level of exchange rates to the description of exchange rate policies, and their adequacy. Is this criticism valid, and in what respect? Answering these questions is critical as exchange rate issues are at the heart of the Fund’s surveillance mandate.

Within the terms of the proposed decisions, staff has formulated specific proposals on a number of issues raised in general terms during the previous Board discussion: (i) the modalities for a fixed schedule of reviews, including how to signal that a program is back on track; (ii) the application of a misreporting framework under the PSI; and (iii) the relationship between the PSI and the PRS process.

Provides a commentary on the main policy changes agreed by Executive Directors, provides a commentary on other amendments, many of which are designed to implement policy changes already agreed by the Executive Board in other contexts or to clarify the implementation of existing policies. Explains the original staff proposals that are not being retained. Reviews changes and clarifications endorsed by the Board that do not require an amendment to the transparency policy decision.

A Fund-supported program is a package of envisaged policies which, combined with approved financing, is expected to achieve certain economic objectives such as fostering macroeconomic stability and orderly external adjustment, promoting growth and poverty reduction, and reducing vulnerability to future balance of payments problems or financial crises. This paper reviews experience with specific macroeconomic and structural policies intended to achieve these objectives.

At the time of the 2005 review of the Fund’s transparency policy, it was agreed that information on key trends in implementation of the transparency policy would be circulated to the Board regularly, along with lists indicating the publication status of reports discussed by the Board (see IMF Executive Board Reviews Fund’s Transparency Policy, August 15, 2005 and The Fund’s Transparency Policy—Proposed Amendments, July 28, 2005). The set of Tables provided in this report focuses on documents published through December 2005.

The objective of this paper is to review the Fund's thinking about signaling since its inception, with a view to drawing lessons for the design of possible signaling mechanisms. Over the years, the Fund has both reflected on the ways in which its main activities - especially surveillance and use of Fund resources (UFR) - send signals, and has created instruments for the express purpose of signaling. Overall, attempts to 'design' signaling mechanisms have been less than fully successful. This paper attempts to elucidate why, drawing primarily on the Fund's own thinking and assessments.

This paper presents for consideration by Directors the issue of a move to a policy of presumed publication of staff reports, and lays out possible options for modalities of implementing the policy of presumed publication. The paper also addresses several issues deferred to this review including: (i) presumed publication of UFR staff reports in exceptional access cases; (ii) deletions of highly politically-sensitive information; (iii) presumed publication of Financial System Stability Assessment (FSSA) reports and a policy for publication of Technical Notes prepared in the context of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP); and (iv) presumed publication of Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSCs). The paper also addresses the issue of a modification policy for staff policy papers prior to publication, and the possibility of withholding publication of a staff report when deletions of highly market sensitive material would significantly alter its key messages.

This review of the Decision forms part of a more comprehensive approach to strengthen the effectiveness of surveillance.

The Annual Report 2005 to the Board of Governors reviews the IMF's activities and policies during the financial year (May 1, 2004, through April 30, 2005). The main sections cover country, global, and regional surveillance; strengthening surveillance and crisis prevention; IMF program support and crisis resolution; the Fund's role in low-income countries; financial operations and policies; technical assistance and training; governance and management of the IMF; and cooperation, communication and outreach. Besides the full financial statements for the year, appendixes cover international reserves, financial operations and transactions, principal policy decisions, relations with other international organizations, press communiqués of advisory committees, Executive Directors and their voting power, and changes in the Executive Board's membership.

This report, commissioned by the Executive Board, was prepared by a committee of academic economists. The report assesses the appropriateness of current research activities, the quality and added value of the IMF's economic research and its utility in the IMF among its member countries and within the wider economics community. This publication also includes responses to the report by the IMF's staff, Managing Director, and Executive Board.

The Annual Report to the Board of Governors reviews the IMF's activities, policies, and organization, as well as the world economy, with emphasis on balance of payments problems, international and emerging capital markets, fiscal considerations in policymaking, data issues, and the debt situation. As part of the IMF's ongoing efforts to improve transparency in its operations, the 1996 Report continues the expanded coverage of economic developments in selected countries and gives details about policy objectives in member countries using Fund resources. The 1996 Report also provides information on the IMF's new data dissemination standard. Appendices include a report on international reserves, details of the IMF's financial operations, major decisions taken by the Executive Board during the year, communiques of the Interim and Development Committees, a list of Executive Directors and their voting power, capital and administrative budgets and information on staffing, and audited financial statements of all IMF accounts and facilites. Published in September.

Book's by International Monetary Fund. Policy Development and Review Dept.

Username

Password

Password again

Birthday

Email