As is the case with several other developing countries which grew rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, Thailand was largely influenced by neoliberalism. This essay discusses neoliberalism, its influence on Thailand, and the role that neoliberalism played in the subsequent Asian financial crisis....

This evaluation assesses the IMF's work on countries in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS), addressing both (i) its engagement through surveillance, lending, and capacity development and (ii) the frameworks and procedures for its engagement. It finds that the IMF has provided unique...

This Evaluation Update revisits the findings and conclusions of the 2007 Independent Evaluation Office evaluation on Structural Conditionality in IMF-Supported Programs. The Update found some progress in streamlining structural conditionality: the average number of structural conditions in...

Despite a difficult economic context, President Macri's administration, over the past two and a half years, has taken bold steps to eliminate a wide range of distortions in the economy. Efforts were also made to strengthen institutions (including the complete reconstruction of the statistics...

In 2008, the IEO undertook an evaluation on the IMF governance and concluded that effectiveness had been the strongest aspect of IMF governance, while accountability and voice had been the weakest. Since then, IMF governance has been strengthened aided by quota and voice reforms to address...

Niger faces daunting development challenges, aggravated by terrorist incursions, low uranium export prices, and climate change. Nonetheless, GDP grew by a respectable 5 percent in the past two years. It should average 7 percent over the next five years thanks to reforms, substantial donor...

This paper sets out Management's response to the Independent Evaluation Office's (IEO) report on 'The IMF and Social Protection.' The management implementation plan (MIP) proposes specific actions to address the IEO recommendations endorsed by the Executive Board in its discussion on July 19,...

I welcome the report of the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) on the IMF and Fragile States. The report recognizes that the Fund has made important contributions in restoring macroeconomic stability, building core institutions, and catalyzing donor support across a diverse range of countries...

This note provides operational guidance to staff on how to engage on social safeguard issues with low-income countries in both program and surveillance contexts. The note is not intended as a comprehensive guide, and should be used in conjunction with other operational guidance notes, such as...

This paper studies the impact of expenditure conditionality in IMF programs on the composition of public spending. A granular dataset on different government expenditure conditions covering 115 countries for the 1992-2016 period is compiled. The results support the view that while conditionality...