RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Lex Rieffel, November 12, 2008, The Globalist
As G-20 leaders prepare to meet, many have called for a “Bretton Woods II” as the next step toward preventing future financial meltdowns. Lex Rieffel argues that this proposal is problematic because it lumps the World Bank with the IMF and argues for a strengthened IMF. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ralph C. Bryant, November 09, 2008, The Brookings Institution
World leaders are gathering this weekend at the G-20 summit in Washington to discuss the global economic and financial crisis. In the first of his two pieces, Ralph Bryant lays out general principles for international cooperation in the supervision and regulation of financial activity. In the second piece, he identifies difficult challenges confronting the participating countries and the international institutions—such as the IMF, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Forum—that will be the locus of cooperative efforts. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ralph C. Bryant, November 08, 2008, The Brookings Institution
World leaders gathered at the G-20 summit in Washington to discuss the global economic and financial crisis. In the first of his two pieces, Ralph Bryant lays out general principles for international cooperation in the supervision and regulation of financial activity. In the second piece, he identifies difficult challenges confronting the participating countries and the international institutions—such as the IMF, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Forum—that will be the locus of cooperative efforts. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Colin I. Bradford and Johannes F. Linn, October 24, 2008, The Brookings Institution
President Bush recently announced that he has invited the G20, or the heads of state from the top 20 industrialized and developing economies, to join an economic summit in Washington on November 15. According to Johannes Linn and Colin Bradford, inviting the full G20 to discuss the current global financial crisis represents a critical step in reforming financial and economic stability, relations and institutions. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
October 2008, The Brookings Institution
As President-Elect Obama prepares to lead the United States, what are the top global economic challenges facing the new president and his advisors and how should the new administration address them? A new report by Brookings global economic and development experts ranks the top 10 issues and details specific ideas for how to tackle the toughest challenges. Read More
PAST EVENT
Friday, October 10, 2008
9:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
What’s next for the global financial markets? Brookings hosted a discussion on the global implications of the U.S. financial crisis, featuring the Honorable Wayne Swan, MP, Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia, and projections by Brookings experts on the future of emerging and financial markets. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Colin I. Bradford and Johannes F. Linn, October 09, 2008, The Brookings Institution
In advance of the G8 finance ministers meeting and the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank, Colin Bradford and Johannes Linn stress the need for financial leaders to seek a more vigorous role for the IMF in the global financial crisis and urge leaders to create a new agency to help deal with the urgent challenges if the IMF cannot take the leading role. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Lex Rieffel, October 2008, The Brookings Institution
In advance of the annual meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in Washington, Lex Rieffel asserts that both institutions, which were created in 1944 to be at the center of a sound and dynamic international financial system, have overlapping responsibilities and antiquated governance structures that have undermined their legitimacy. In this policy brief, Rieffel offers steps to visibly differentiate the two institutions and improve their effectiveness, including moving the headquarters of the World Bank to Europe. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Lex Rieffel, September 2008, The Brookings Institution
Sixty years following the creation of the IMF and the World Bank, the nature of global financial, emerging markets and poverty aid has changed dramatically. Lex Rieffel argues that if the institutions were to be created today they would be structured differently and located outside of Washington. His case and recommendations for reform are contained in a new working paper. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, June 19, 2008
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Washington, DC
Over the past 30 years, the World Bank and IMF have developed a variety of tools to analyze public spending policies. With the development in low- and middle-income countries of democratic institutions and civil society organizations like think tanks and advocacy groups, we may soon be at a tipping point at which use of these tools along with domestic advocacy pushes countries to stronger reform agendas. On June 19, the Transparency and Accountability Project (TAP) hosted a forum that brings these elements together.
Read MoreRESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William Easterly, May 28, 2008, The Financial Times
The recent report by the Growth Commission addresses critical questions about how developing countries might achieve and sustain high growth rates. In a recent op-ed, Visiting Fellow Bill Easterly discusses why the report represents the final collapse of the “development expert” paradigm while outlining reasons why there is still hope for development. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Johannes F. Linn, May 27, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Today, half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. As the global population continues to increase in the next 20 years, cities of developing countries will face the greatest population growth. Following the findings from the Commission on Growth and Development’s recent report, Johannes Linn provides practical recommendations so that governments, aid agencies, and academia can develop specific policies to help developing countries meet the challenges and opportunities of urbanization. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Homi Kharas and Johannes F. Linn, May 27, 2008, The Brookings Institution
The Commission on Growth and Development’s report recognizes the most sensible strategy to implement development programs is “learning-by-doing” or an experimental approach. In addition to this strategy, Johannes Linn and Homi Kharas push for strong evaluation and implementation in order to scale-up and expand successful development interventions over time. Through stated recommendations, Linn and Kharas encourage policymakers and aid agencies to replicate successful programs so that economic growth can be achieved. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Colin I. Bradford, May 02, 2008, Guardian Unlimited
Missing from the recent IMF-World Bank ministerial meetings was an understanding that policy development needs to be an interactive process, one that includes financial officials and law makers. Colin Bradford advises the world's legislators must be brought into the conversation about global development in order for these discussions to evolve into successful action. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Raj M. Desai and Homi Kharas, April 24, 2008, The Brookings Institution
While the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings made recent headlines, the Global Philanthropy Forum, gathering top private aid donors, fell in the shadows. These private aid donors will likely give more aid to the world’s poor this year than the institutions that convened the Spring Meetings. Raj Desai and Homi Kharas compare these two events and discuss how private aid can help to relieve global poverty. Read More