2. The IMF’s Role in and Approach to Social Protection
Author: International Monetary Fund. Independent Evaluation Office
Language:
English
Keywords:
IEOR; IEO; protection; staff; evaluation; policy; country; IMF economist staff; IMF guidance; IMF's involvement; IMF's role; commitment to the SDGs; Social assistance spending; Income; Global

Abstract

13. Historically, the IMF’s involvement in social issues was quite limited. The Articles of Agreement call for the institution to respect members’ domestic social and political policies in its surveillance activities.7 The Board took this caveat seriously, as evidenced in its discussions on the issue and reflected in formal guidance to staff. Social issues were not part of the IMF’s core areas of responsibility, as laid out in the operational guidelines for surveillance (see IMF, 1991). Staff were not proscribed from addressing such issues but were expected to exercise their judgment as to whether the issue was relevant for macroeconomic conditions and prospects, and to rely, as far as possible, on the expertise of other institutions such as the World Bank. On occasion, particularly since the 1990s, the Managing Director directly instructed staff to pay more attention to concern for the poor and set the tone for greater involvement in social issues by the institution, but this was not built into operational guidelines.8

Within Same Series

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Cover IEO Evaluation Report
IEO Evaluation Report
The IMF and Social Protection
Author: International Monetary Fund. Independent Evaluation Office
ISBN:
9781484313800
ISSN:
2617-670X
Publication Date:
05 Oct 2017
Publisher:
International Monetary Fund
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781484313800.017
Pages:
60

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