Policy Papers

September 2, 2008

2008 Triennial Surveillance Review - Overview Paper

Description: This triennial surveillance review (TSR) takes place in a time of change, with the Fund in the midst of a major refocusing effort. That surveillance has not been as effective as it should be has been amply documented, notably in previous surveillance reviews and several IEO evaluations. Since the 2004 review of bilateral surveillance (BSR), considerable efforts have been made to enhance its effectiveness, including an overhaul of the policy framework with the adoption of a new Surveillance Decision in 2007. And as part of the refocusing effort, more change is underway to deliver on the Managing Director’s vision of an institution making better use of its comparative advantage, to be “more alert to emerging issues, more critical in its assessments (especially in good times), and more assertive in communicating its concerns.”

September 2, 2008

2008 Triennial Surveillance Review - Background Information and Statistical Appendix

Description: Country surveillance constitutes an essential part of the IMF's mandate to oversee the international monetary system and to monitor the economic and financial policies of its 185 member countries. The IMF's Executive Board conducts regularly scheduled reviews of country surveillance (the Triennial Surveillance Review) to consider ways to improve its effectiveness. The 2008 review is the first such review since the Executive Board approved, in June 2007, a new Decision on Bilateral Surveillance. This Decision affirms that the focus of bilateral surveillance is on those policies of members that can significantly influence present or prospective external stability. The review focused on the implementation of country surveillance in the recent past, as presented in the following set of papers:

• The overview paper presents the main findings and priority areas for further work. The review finds that stakeholders hold the quality of IMF surveillance in high regard, but that improvements should focus on risk assessment, integration of macroeconomic and financial sector surveillance, multilateral perspectives (cross-border spillovers and cross-country analysis), and exchange rate assessments. The priority areas identified in the review served as key background for the preparation of the IMF’s Statement of Surveillance Priorities (SSP).

• The Thematic Findings (Supplement 1) provides supporting analysis on the implementation of bilateral surveillance in the recent past and, particularly, on the appropriateness of its focus and its analytical value added in particular areas, including the overall “health check”, exchange rates, financial sector issues, cross-country analysis and cross-border spillover analysis (including a case study of surveillance in the run up to the subprime crisis), the degree of candor and evenhandedness in surveillance, and the effectiveness of its communication.

• The Background Information paper (Supplement 2) provides further information, including a description of review methodologies, and results including interview findings, surveys of various audiences, and supporting data on the quality of consultation documents.

• The External Consultant’s Report provides an independent view of IMF surveillance in Europe.

August 28, 2008

The GCC Monetary Union - Choice of Exchange Rate Regime

Description: One of the critical decisions in the formation of a monetary union is the choice of an appropriate exchange rate regime for the single currency. The member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreed in 2003 to peg their currencies to the U.S. dollar and to maintain the parity until the establishment of the GCC Monetary Union in 2010. A decision on the exchange rate regime for the single GCC currency would be made then. Although the choice of the U.S. dollar peg as the external anchor for monetary policy served the countries of the GCC well for many years in maintaining macroeconomic stability, rising inflationary pressures in the last two to three years, the continuing depreciation of the U.S. dollar against major currencies, and differing economic cycles and policy needs to that of the anchor country (the United States) have raised questions about whether the peg to the dollar remains appropriate, and therefore would be appropriate for the GCC Monetary Union.

August 28, 2008

Review of the Fund's Financing Role in Member Countries

Description: 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.

IMF Invites Comments on Review of Fund's Financing Role in Member Countries

August 15, 2008

Review of the Fund's Strategy on Overdue Financial Obligations

Description: This paper reviews progress under the Fund’s strengthened cooperative strategy on overdue financial obligations. Total arrears to the Fund declined by SDR 552 million since the last review, owing largely to the clearance of arrears by Liberia in March 2008. While Sudan’s payments in excess of its new obligations falling due to the Fund also contributed to the decline, arrears by Somalia and Zimbabwe increased further. The majority of the arrears to the Fund (85 percent) were to the General Resources Account (GRA).

July 31, 2008

Report of the Executive Board Working Group on IMF Corporate Governance

Description: On May 21, 2008, the Executive Board discussed the report of the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) on “Aspects of IMF Corporate Governance – Including the Role of the Executive Board”. The Joint Statement issued by the Executive Board and the Managing Director following the Board discussion noted that many of the issues raised by the IEO were complex and interrelated. Furthermore, the follow-up discussion would require the engagement of all parties at many different levels, involving not only the Executive Board and Management, but also the Fund’s membership and other stakeholders more broadly.
This report presents the recommendations of the Working Group, based on work carried out during June-July 2008. The proposed detailed work plan in Table 1 is an integral part of this report. Section II of the report describes the work streams. Section III discusses issues beyond the IEO report and proposes a monitoring process. Section IV presents the recommendations.

July 25, 2008

Proposed Reforms to the Exogenous Shocks Facility

Description: The review of the ESF is being accelerated in light of experience and worsening global economic conditions, in particular the surge in food and fuel prices. Despite having become effective in 2006, the ESF has yet to be used. Recent discussions with creditors, donors, potential users, and outside observers have highlighted a number of ways to enhance its effectiveness.

July 22, 2008

Policy for Country Contributions for Capacity Building

Description: This paper proposes a strengthened country contributions policy for capacity-building services. It builds on the recent Executive Board discussions on capacity-building reforms, which included proposals for the use of charges (country contributions) to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Fund’s capacity-building activities. On the basis of this country contributions policy, management intends to issue a staff guidance note on implementation and to take steps to bring it to the attention of members and other recipients of Fund capacity-building activities.

Policy for Country Contributions for Capacity Building—Supplement

Notes: Reflecting the outcome of the Executive Board discussion, the proposal on the policy for country contributions for capacity building was modified. The supplement reflects the final version of the policy, which will become effective May 1, 2009.

July 14, 2008

Application of Structural Conditionality - 2008 Annual Report

Description: This report provides an update, based on objective indicators, of the application of structural conditionality in Fund-supported programs. Such annual reports on structural conditionality are one element of the management implementation plan (MIP) prepared in response to the Board-endorsed recommendations made in the IEO evaluation of Structural Conditionality in IMF-Supported Programs. This annual report covers Fund arrangements approved during the period 1995–2007 (and their reviews through April 30, 2008), extending therefore the dataset contained in the recent IEO report by about three years (from 2005 to 2007). In addition, this report examines experience with Policy Support Instruments (PSIs), which were introduced in October 2005, and thus not covered in the IEO evaluation.

July 10, 2008

Revisions to the Operational Guidance Note on Conditionality

Description: This note elaborates on the operational implications of the key principles that should guide the Fund in designing and setting conditionality and the 2002 conditionality guidelines. It is not intended as a comprehensive stand-alone guidance note, but rather as an aid to the implementation of the new guidelines. The operational issues covered are grouped into three areas: (i) the process of negotiation and program design; (ii) the design of conditionality; and (iii) the presentation of conditionality in Board papers for the use of Fund resources. The 2008 revisions arise from the Board-endorsed recommendations of the IEO evaluation of structural conditionality; the Board’s preferred way forward is to strengthen efforts to achieve parsimony by emphasizing criticality as well as requiring rigorous justification of conditionality.