IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/devchg/v50y2019i1p46-71.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Continuity, Discontinuity and Incoherence in the Bretton Woods Order: A Hirschmanian Reading

Author

Listed:
  • Ilene Grabel

Abstract

This article examines the effects of the Asian crisis and especially the global financial crisis on developmental finance (that is, long‐term project finance and counter‐cyclical liquidity support) and the global financial architecture. In this connection three claims are advanced. The first is positive: that the crises occasioned meaningful although ad hoc, uneven discontinuities. The conjunction of discontinuities and continuities is imparting incoherence to the developmental and global financial architecture. The second claim is normative and controversial. Contrary to the common narrative, emergent incoherence is (on balance) productive of development and stability rather than debilitating. Actors in parts of the global South and East enjoy greater opportunities for institutional experimentation today in comparison with the limited space available in the coherent neoliberal era when the Bretton Woods institutions were monolithic. All of the experiments underway are not equally likely to survive, but even failures can provide lessons and networks that contribute to future successes. Emergent redundancy and new networks of institutional cooperation increase financial resilience. The article also explores the risks of incoherence and redundancy. The third claim is that productive incoherence can be understood within a ‘Hirschmanian mindset’ — an understanding of change and development informed by Albert Hirschman's theoretical and epistemic commitments.

Suggested Citation

  • Ilene Grabel, 2019. "Continuity, Discontinuity and Incoherence in the Bretton Woods Order: A Hirschmanian Reading," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 50(1), pages 46-71, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:50:y:2019:i:1:p:46-71
    DOI: 10.1111/dech.12469
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.12469
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/dech.12469?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Helleiner Gerald K, 2010. "Towards Realistic Governance Reform in International Financial Institutions," Global Economy Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 10(3), pages 1-6, October.
    2. Ilene Grabel, 2018. "Reflections on the Economics Profession, the Neoliberal Conjuncture, and the Emerging Democratic Crisis: An Analysis in the Spirit of Albert O. Hirschman," Forum for Social Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(2), pages 173-183, April.
    3. Alexander E. Kentikelenis & Thomas H. Stubbs & Lawrence P. King, 2016. "IMF conditionality and development policy space, 1985–2014," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(4), pages 543-582, July.
    4. Patrick Bond, 2016. "BRICS banking and the debate over sub-imperialism," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(4), pages 611-629, April.
    5. Ilene Grabel, 2015. "The rebranding of capital controls in an era of productive incoherence," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 7-43, February.
    6. Helleiner, Eric, 2014. "The Status Quo Crisis: Global Financial Governance After the 2008 Meltdown," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199973637.
    7. Jeremy Adelman, 2013. "Worldly Philosopher: The Odyssey of Albert O. Hirschman," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 9935.
    8. DeMartino, George F., 2011. "The Economist's Oath: On the Need for and Content of Professional Economic Ethics," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199730568.
    9. Mikko Huotari & Thilo Hanemann, 2014. "Emerging Powers and Change in the Global Financial Order," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 5(3), pages 298-310, September.
    10. Ilene Grabel, 2011. "Not your grandfather's IMF: global crisis, 'productive incoherence' and developmental policy space," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 35(5), pages 805-830.
    11. McKay Julie & Volz Ulrich & Wölfinger Regine, 2011. "Regional Financing Arrangements and the Stability of the International Monetary System," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 2(1), pages 1-33, August.
    12. Ilene Grabel, 2011. "Not Your Grandfather’s IMF: Global Crisis, ‘Productive Incoherence’ and Developmental Policy Space (significantly revised)," Working Papers wp214_revisedb, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
    13. William Easterly (ed.), 2008. "Reinventing Foreign Aid," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262550660, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Evgeny Vinokurov, 2021. "Interaction of Eurasian and international financial institutions," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(2-3), pages 265-282, April.
    2. Devin T. Rafferty, 2020. "The “New†Neoclassical International Political Economy of Macroprudential Regulation and Capital Controls: “Style†over “Substanceâ€," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 52(4), pages 662-672, December.
    3. Ilene Grabel, 2023. "A World on Fire: Observations and Speculations in a Crottyian Vein," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 55(4), pages 707-713, December.
    4. Stubbs, Thomas & Kring, William & Laskaridis, Christina & Kentikelenis, Alexander & Gallagher, Kevin, 2021. "Whatever it takes? The global financial safety net, Covid-19, and developing countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    5. Evgeny Vinokurov & Artem Levenkov, 2021. "The Enlarged Global Financial Safety Net," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(1), pages 15-23, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. William N. Kring & Kevin P. Gallagher, 2019. "Strengthening the Foundations? Alternative Institutions for Finance and Development," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 50(1), pages 3-23, January.
    2. Laurissa Mühlich & Barbara Fritz, 2018. "Safety for Whom? The Scattered Global Financial Safety Net and the Role of Regional Financial Arrangements," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 29(5), pages 981-1001, November.
    3. Barbara Fritz & Laurissa Mühlich, 2019. "Regional Financial Arrangements in the Global Financial Safety Net: The Arab Monetary Fund and the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 50(1), pages 96-121, January.
    4. Devin T. Rafferty, 2020. "The “New†Neoclassical International Political Economy of Macroprudential Regulation and Capital Controls: “Style†over “Substanceâ€," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 52(4), pages 662-672, December.
    5. Ferrer, José & Kireyev, Alexei, 2023. "Policy space index: Short-term response to a catastrophic event," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 837-859.
    6. Ali Burak Güven, 2012. "The IMF, the World Bank, and the Global Economic Crisis: Exploring Paradigm Continuity," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 43(4), pages 869-898, July.
    7. Thomas Stubbs & Bernhard Reinsberg & Alexander Kentikelenis & Lawrence King, 2020. "How to evaluate the effects of IMF conditionality," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 29-73, January.
    8. Juliet Johnson & Seçkin Köstem, 2016. "Frustrated Leadership: Russia's Economic Alternative to the West," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 7(2), pages 207-216, May.
    9. Presbitero, Andrea F. & Zazzaro, Alberto, 2012. "IMF Lending in Times of Crisis: Political Influences and Crisis Prevention," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(10), pages 1944-1969.
    10. Pagliari, Stefano & Kovras, Iosif, 2021. "Individual Accountability in International Economy Policymaking after the Global Financial Crisis," SocArXiv gn8tk, Center for Open Science.
    11. Amrita Chhachhi & Matías Vernengo & Kirsten Ford, 2014. "Everything Must Change so that the IMF Can Remain the Same: The World Economic Outlook and the Global Financial Stability Report," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 45(5), pages 1193-1204, September.
    12. Demir, Firat, 2022. "IMF conditionality, export structure and economic complexity:The ineffectiveness of structural adjustment programs," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 750-767.
    13. Ilene Grabel, 2015. "The rebranding of capital controls in an era of productive incoherence," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 7-43, February.
    14. Laurissa Mühlich & Barbara Fritz, 2021. "Borrowing Patterns in the Global Financial Safety Net: Does Governance Play a Role?," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(S4), pages 47-68, May.
    15. William N. Kring & William W. Grimes, 2019. "Leaving the Nest: The Rise of Regional Financial Arrangements and the Future of Global Governance," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 50(1), pages 72-95, January.
    16. Voszka, Éva, 2019. "Elvesztett illúziók - reformközgazdászok a rendszerváltásban [Lost illusions - reform economists in the years of transition]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(12), pages 1284-1311.
    17. Ilene Grabel, 2018. "Toward a Pluripolar Global Financial Architecture? The Bretton Woods Institutions and the New Landscape of Developmental Finance," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 50(4), pages 653-659, December.
    18. Ali Burak Güven, 2016. "Rethinking Development Space in Emerging Countries: Turkey's Conservative Countermovement," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 47(5), pages 995-1024, September.
    19. Brendan Skip Mark & Huei-Jyun Ye & Andrew Foote & Tiffani Crippin, 2021. "It’s a Hard-Knock Life: Child Labor Practices and Compliance with IMF Agreements," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-21, May.
    20. Dorninger, Christian & Abson, David J. & Apetrei, Cristina I. & Derwort, Pim & Ives, Christopher D. & Klaniecki, Kathleen & Lam, David P.M. & Langsenlehner, Maria & Riechers, Maraja & Spittler, Nathal, 2020. "Leverage points for sustainability transformation: a review on interventions in food and energy systems," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:50:y:2019:i:1:p:46-71. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0012-155X .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.