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Doing more with less: The catalytic function of IMF lending and the role of program size

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  • Krahnke, Tobias

Abstract

Financial assistance provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is supposed to unlock other financing, acting as a catalyst for private capital flows. The empirical evidence of the presence of such a catalytic effect has, however, been mixed. This paper shows that a possible explanation for the rather inconclusive empirical evidence to date is the neglect of the size of an IMF program. Applying a novel identification strategy to account for endogenous selection into (large) adjustment programs, and using a comprehensive data set spanning the years 1990-2018, we show that the catalytic effect of IMF financial assistance is weakened - and potentially reversed - if the size of a program exceeds a certain level. We argue that large IMF financial assistance coupled with the IMF's preferred creditor status can lead to a crowding-out of private investors by increasing their loss in the event of default. Our findings add to the debate on the optimal size of Fund-supported programs and can also inform the broader policy discussions on the adequacy of IMF resources.

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  • Krahnke, Tobias, 2020. "Doing more with less: The catalytic function of IMF lending and the role of program size," Discussion Papers 18/2020, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:bubdps:182020
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    2. Committeri, Marco & Brüggemann, Axel & Kosterink, Patrick & Reininger, Thomas & Stevens, Luc & Vonessen, Benjamin & Zaghini, Andrea & Garrido, Isabel & Van Meensel, Lena & Strašuna, Lija & Tiililä, Ne, 2022. "The role of the IMF in addressing climate change risks," Occasional Paper Series 309, European Central Bank.
    3. Bomprezzi, Pietro & Marchesi, Silvia, 2023. "A firm level approach on the effects of IMF programs," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
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    5. Jost, Thomas & Seitz, Franz, 2021. "Designing a European Monetary Fund: What role for the IMF?," IMFS Working Paper Series 151, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).
    6. Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky & Francisco Cantamutto & Laura Clérico, 2022. "IMF’s Surcharges as a Threat to the Right to Development," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 65(2), pages 194-202, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    International Monetary Fund; catalysis; capital flows; financial crises;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F32 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Current Account Adjustment; Short-term Capital Movements
    • F33 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Monetary Arrangements and Institutions
    • F36 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Financial Aspects of Economic Integration
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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