The mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to promote international financial stability through liquidity support, surveillance and capacity building. Emerging market and developing countries frequently turn to the IMF during balance-of-payments distress. IMF liquidity support comes with conditionalities that require borrowing countries to commit to a series of policy reforms. These conditionalities have […]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) conducts periodic Reviews of Program Design and Conditionality (RoC), and it is currently undergoing the first review since 2018. These reviews analyze the performance of IMF programs in recent years and establish changes to the framework guiding future programs. IMF programs are designed to address balance-of-payments challenges, and countries must […]
International financial institutions (IFIs) are increasingly expected to support environmental and climate goals. Among them, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) plays a central role in shaping economic policy across much of the Global South through its lending programs. However, little systematic evidence exists of the environmental consequences of these programs, including their potential effects on […]
Due date: Monday 6 April, 2026 (5pm EST) The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center is pleased to announce a call for proposals for PhD student-led field research projects in human capital and development. Established in 2017, HCI generates rigorous evidence-based insights on the impact of human capital on […]
By Tim Hirschel-Burns This blog is part of a blog series on past large-scale international investment programs and the lessons they provide for the investment push needed for development and climate action today. You can read the introduction to the blog series here and part 1 here. In the decades after World War II, South […]
The Global Financial Safety Net (GFSN) is a set of institutions and mechanisms that provide insurance against crises and financing to mitigate their impacts. It has four main elements: countries’ own international reserves; bilateral swap arrangements whereby central banks exchange currencies to provide liquidity to banking systems; regional financial arrangements (RFAs) by which countries pool […]
The current trade war and tensions with the US pose many challenges for Mexico, but at the same time they provide both an impetus and a strategic opportunity to make progress on the longstanding and interwoven problems of low wages, poverty and slow economic growth. The impetus comes from the clear need to reduce the […]
By Laurissa Mühlich, Marina Zucker-Marques and Barbara Fritz In an era of mounting debt pressures, climate shocks and volatile international trade policies, timely and reliable financial resources are critical to stabilize economies without sacrificing essential public spending and development goals. To address this, crisis financing is provided through the Global Financial Safety Net (GFSN)—a network that includes […]
By Rachel Thrasher, Deborah Gleeson, Brook K. Baker, Veronika Wirtz, Warren A. Kaplan and Brigitte Tenni Global and regional crises call for rapid, flexible solutions, especially when it comes to access to lifesaving medicines in a health emergency. On December 30, 2025, the European Parliament published a revised regulation on compulsory licensing for crisis management. A […]
By Tim Hirschel-Burns For the first time in nearly 10 years, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have a chance to revise a key framework that will shape whether low-income countries are set up for a decade of growth or a decade of lost opportunity. The IMF and World Bank’s review of their […]