This paper outlines that many countries have only begun to recover from the devastation of war; and the reconstruction of their economic and monetary systems will take several years. The wartime economic controls of many members of the IMF are still in force. Concrete measures for international economic cooperation, in spheres other than the financial, are not as far advanced as had earlier been hoped. International political cooperation leaves much to be desired. A number of countries, particularly in Europe and the Far East, find their international economic position seriously deteriorated as a result of the war. Their first task is to restore agricultural and industrial production on a modern and efficient basis and to bring it into line with the new requirements of the market. Although foreign aid has been of great assistance, it is important to recognize that recovery in the occupied countries has depended and will continue to depend primarily on their own efforts.

IMF economists work closely with member countries on a variety of issues. Their unique perspective on country experiences and best practices on global macroeconomic issues are often shared in the form of books on diverse topics such as cross-country comparisons, capacity building, macroeconomic policy, financial integration, and globalization.

This paper discusses the history of the first 20 years of the IMF. It attempts to recount objectively what were its origins and what have been its plans and activities. The paper contains a chronological account of the evolution of the IMF from the original plans formulated in 1941 to the end of 1965, with a supplementary chapter summarizing subsequent events. It analyzes the IMF’s policies in three major fields and reviews its constitutional development.

This book explores how international organizations (IOs) have expanded their powers over time without formally amending their founding treaties. IOs intervene in military, financial, economic, political, social, and cultural affairs, and increasingly take on roles not explicitly assigned to them by law. Sinclair contends that this 'mission creep' has allowed IOs to intervene internationally in a way that has allowed them to recast institutions within and interactions among states, societies, and peoples on a broadly Western, liberal model. Adopting a historical and interdisciplinary, socio-legal approach, Sinclair supports this claim through detailed investigations of historical episodes involving three very different organizations: the International Labour Organization in the interwar period; the United Nations in the two decades following the Second World War; and the World Bank from the 1950s through to the 1990s. The book draws on a wide range of original institutional and archival materials, bringing to light little-known aspects of each organization's activities, identifying continuities in the ideas and practices of international governance across the twentieth century, and speaking to a range of pressing theoretical questions in present-day international law and international relations.

First published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The classic reference work that provides annually updated information on the countries of the world.