The IMF launched the Economic Issues series in 1996 to make the IMF staffs research findings accessible to the public. Economic Issues are short, nontechnical monographs on topical issues written for the nonspecialist reader. They are published in six languages—English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish. Economic Issue No. 32, like the others in the series, reflects the opinions of its authors, which are not necessarily those of the IMF.
©2004 International Monetary Fund
Series Editor
Asimina Caminis
IMF External Relations Department
Cover design and composition
Massoud Etemadi, Julio R. Prego, and the IMF Multimedia Services Division
ISBN 9781589063099
ISSN 1020-5098
Published January 2004
To order IMF publications, please contact
International Monetary Fund, Publication Services
700 19th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20431, U.S.A.
Tel: (202) 623-7430 Telefax: (202) 623-7201
E-mail: publications@imf.org
Internet: http://www.imf.org
Preface
This Economic Issue is based on IMF Working Paper WP/02/46, Regulatory and Supervisory Independence and Financial Stability, March 2002. Brenda Szittya prepared the text. Citations for the studies reviewed are provided in the original paper, which readers can purchase from IMF Publication Services ($15.00) or download from www.imf.org.