Two years ago, the Guido Carli Association, in collaboration with the Aspen Institute Italia, charged a group of distinguished economists to examine the problems created by the unsatisfactory functioning of the International Monetary System. The two resulting conferences were sponsored by the Fondazione della Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze (CESIFIN) and the Permanent Advisory Committee on the Euro and the Dollar (PACE&D). Their research had a two-fold aim. The first was an examination of the basic function of the International Monetary System with a special focus on the role the Euro would and should have. The second was the preparation of a list of recommendations on how to resolve the problems, financial problems in particular, affecting the entire world community. Last year, the group focused on efforts taking place in diverse financial institutions and universities to construct what has been called the `New International Financial Architecture'. This group considered the legal problems arising from European and international integration and, more generally, from the new architecture of the International Monetary System. This book, The New Architecture of the International Monetary System, is the final result of their efforts. It will be an invaluable resource for academics, professionals, and students alike.

The collapse of Barings bank and the currency crisis in Mexico are just two instances of stress in an international financial system still largely governed by the institutions established by the Bretton Woods Committee in 1944. Here, the authors put forward an agenda for a new system of international economic institutions to fit the changes in inte

A New Architecture for the U.S. National Accounts brings together a distinguished group of contributors to initiate the development of a comprehensive and fully integrated set of United States national accounts. The purpose of the new architecture is not only to integrate the existing systems of accounts, but also to identify gaps and inconsistencies and expand and incorporate systems of nonmarket accounts with the core system. Since the United States economy accounts for almost thirty percent of the world economy, it is not surprising that accounting for this huge and diverse set of economic activities requires a decentralized statistical system. This volume outlines the major assignments among institutions that include the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Labor, the Census Bureau, and the Governors of the Federal Reserve System. An important part of the motivation for the new architecture is to integrate the different components and make them consistent. This volume is the first step toward achieving that goal.

Who were the great thinkers on international finance in the mid-twentieth century? What did they propose should be done to create a stable international financial order for promoting world trade and economic growth? This important book studies the ideas of some of the most innovative economists in the mid-twentieth century including three Nobel Laureates; great thinkers who helped shape the international financial system and the role of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Covering the period from the late 1940s up until the collapse of the fixed US dollar-gold link in 1971, the impact of Hansen, Williams, Graham, Triffin, Simons, Viner, Friedman, Johnson, Mises, Rueff, Rist, Hayek, Heilperin and Röpke is assessed. This outstanding book will prove invaluable to students studying international economics, economic history and the history of economic thought.

The Global Credit Crisis of 2008-09 has underscored the urgency of reforming the international financial architecture. While a number of short-term reforms are already in train, this paper contemplates more ambitious reforms of the international financial architecture that might be implemented over the next ten years. It proposes routinizing the expansion of IMF quotas and the conduct of exchange rate surveillance. It contemplates an expanded role for the SDR in international transactions, which would require someone-like the IMF-to act as market maker. It considers proposals for reimposing Glass-Steagall-like restrictions on commercial and investment banking, something that will have to be coordinated internationally to be feasible. Other proposals would require banks to purchase capital insurance; here the question is who would be on the other side of the market. Again there is likely to be a role for the IMF. Then there are arguments for a new agency or institution to deal with cross-border bank insolvencies. Any such entity will require staff support, which might plausibly come from the Fund. Finally, some insist that international colleges of regulators are not enough-that it is desirable to create a World Financial Organization (WFO) with the power to sanction members whose national regulatory policies are not up to international standards. A WFO will similarly need staff support, of which the IMF would be one possible source. All this of course presupposes meaningful IMF governance reform so that the institution has the legitimacy and efficiency to assume these additional responsibilities. The paper therefore concludes with some conventional and unconventional proposals for IMF governance reform.

The New International Monetary System brings together twelve original contributions by leading scholars and practitioners to a conference convened in May 2008 on the occasion of the retirement of Alexander Swoboda. The contributions are arranged in three main parts. Part I deals with the international financial architecture, Part II examines the ever-controversial role of exchange rate regimes and Part III takes stock of the conduct of monetary policy and the challenges posed by the inflation-targeting strategy. The chapters provide considered assessments of virtually all the hotly debated issues that concern monetary policies seen from an international perspective. Edited by and with an introduction from Charles Wyplosz, the collection includes contributions from some of the key international figures in the field of monetary policy, central banking and exchange rate regimes to discuss contemporary international monetary issues. Contributors include Michael Bordo, Barry Eichengreen, Ronald McKinnon and Charles Goodhart. The volume also contains tributes from Paul Volcker and Jean-Pierre Roth.