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American in the Shadows: Harry Dexter White and the Design of the International Monetary Fund

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Author Info
James M. Boughton
Abstract

Two economists designed the main features of the charter of the IMF during World War II: John Maynard Keynes and Harry Dexter White. Several of those features are attributable primarily to White, including the adoption of fixed but adjustable exchange rates, the funding of operations with national currencies deposited by member states, extending credits through currency swaps rather than conventional loans, making these credits subject to policy conditions, and encouraging members to retain capital controls as an option for use in difficult circumstances. This study of archival material helps to uncover White's role in this design process.

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Paper provided by International Monetary Fund in its series IMF Working Papers with number 06/6.

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Length: 21 pages
Date of creation: 19 Jan 2006
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:06/6

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Related research
Keywords: Fund ; International monetary system ; White; Harry Dexter ; Exchange rate regimes ; Capital controls ; Capital flows ;

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Anna J. Schwartz, 1997. "From Obscurity to Notoriety: A Biography of the Exchange Stabilization Fund," NBER Working Papers 5699, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Schwartz, Anna J, 1997. "From Obscurity to Notoriety: A Biography of the Exchange Stabilization Fund," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 29(2), pages 135-53, May.
  3. Bordo Michael D. & Kydland Finn E., 1995. "The Gold Standard As a Rule: An Essay in Exploration," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 423-464, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Michael Bordo & Anna J. Schwartz, 2001. "From the Exchange Stabilization Fund to the International Monetary Fund," NBER Working Papers 8100, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. James M. Boughton, 2002. "Why White, Not Keynes? Inventing the Post-War International Monetary System," IMF Working Papers 02/52, International Monetary Fund. [Downloadable!]
  6. David Laidler & Roger Sandilands, 2000. "An Early Harvard Memorandum on anti-Depression Policies. Introductory Note," UWO Department of Economics Working Papers 20004, University of Western Ontario, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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This page was last updated on 2009-11-20.


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