Independent Evaluation Office Reports
2015
January 15, 2015
IMF Response to the Financial and Economic Crisis
Description: This evaluation assesses the IMF’s response to the global financial and economic crisis, focusing on the period September 2008 through 2013. It assesses the IMF’s actions to help contain the crisis and navigate a global recovery, assist individual economies to cope with the impact of the crisis, and identify and warn about future risks.
2013
March 4, 2013
Research at the IMF: Relevance and Utilization
Description: This evaluation report assesses research produced at the IMF between 1999 and 2008, focusing on the relevance and utilization of research to member country authorities, IMF staff, and other stakeholders. The report also examines the technical quality and management of research and offers recommendations for enhancing the relevance of research, improving the technical quality of analytical work, promoting openness to alternative perspectives, and improving the management of research.
2012
December 24, 2012
Independent Evaluation at the IMF: The First Decade
Description: This volume examines how independent evaluation contributes to the legitimacy and effectiveness of the IMF. It describes the evolution and impact of the Independent Evaluation Office ten years after its creation as well as the challenges it has faced. It also incorporates feedback from a wide range of internal and external actors and offers useful insights for international organizations, academics, and other global stakeholders.
2011
September 13, 2011
IEO Annual Report 2011
Description: The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) was established by the IMF’s Executive Board in 2001. It provides objective and independent evaluation of issues related to the IMF. The IEO operates independently of IMF management and at arm’s length from the IMF Executive Board. For more information on the IEO’s activities, visit the IEO website: www.ieo-imf.org.
August 24, 2011
IMF Performance in the Run-Up to the Financial and Economic Crisis: IMF Surveillance in 2004-07
Description: The report assesses IMF surveillance in the period leading up to the global financial and economic crisis and offers recommendations on how to strengthen the IMF's ability to discern risks and vulnerabilities in the future. Chapters discuss the unfolding of the crisis and IMF messages prior to the crisis, and analyze the complex factors that influenced the IMF's performance in the run-up to the crisis. A companion CD provides background papers not included in this report.
2010
August 30, 2010
IMF Interactions with Member Countries
Description: This report presents the findings of an evaluation of the effectiveness of IMF interactions with its member countries during the period 2001-08, with special emphasis on 2007-08. It analyzes IMF interactions with its entire membership, broken down into three main country groups: advanced economies, emerging economies, and Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF)-eligible countries. The report comes at a critical juncture for the international monetary system, when the IMF has adopted a more flexible approach to lending and been given new responsibilities, as well as a major infusion of resources to help members deal with the global financial crisis. It highlights lessons learned from the evaluation that are most relevant to the tasks that lie ahead for the IMF.
July 23, 2010
IEO Annual Report 2010
Description: The Independent Evaluation Office’s (IEO) Annual Report 2010 highlights that in FY2010, the IEO expended approximately 95 percent of its budgetary resources. The corresponding underspending (about 5 percent of the budget) resulted from several vacancies for significant periods throughout the year. Staffing developments over the course of FY2010 highlighted the costs of high staff turnover for the IEO’s work. In July 2009, the IEO undertook an assessment of recent staffing experience, the main challenges encountered in recruiting and retaining employees, and the aspects of the IEO’s employment policies that contribute to these difficulties.
2009
October 15, 2009
IMF Involvement in International Trade Policy Issues
Description: Trade policy occupies an unusual and at times problematic place in the work of the IMF. Though trade policies of IMF members have strong influences on macroeconomic stability, they are often seen as peripheral to the IMF’s core competency. This evaluation, which examines the IMF’s involvement in trade policy issues during 1996–2007, addresses five questions. What is the nature of the IMF’s mandate to cover trade policy? Did the IMF work effectively with other international organizations on trade policy issues? Did the Executive Board provide clear guidance to staff on the IMF’s role and approach to trade policy? How well did the IMF address trade policy issues through lending arrangements and surveillance? Was IMF advice effective? The evaluation finds that the IMF’s role in trade policy has evolved in some desirable and some less desirable ways and recommends how to use the limited resources the IMF can devote to trade policy to fill these gaps.
July 27, 2009
Studies of IMF Governance: A Compendium
Description: The papers in this volume draw on background work done in preparation for the study Governance of the IMF: An Evaluation, Independent Evaluation Office, International Monetary Fund, May 28, 2008 (available at http://www.ieo-imf.org). This compilation presents in one collection the most recent work to date on the subject of governance of the IMF and contributes to the ongoing dialogue on how best to strengthen the governance of this important global institution. Good governance can contribute to the IMF’s legitimacy by ensuring appropriate voice and representation for the membership, by allowing the Fund to fulfill its mandates effectively and efficiently, and by facilitating accountability for relevant stakeholders. Three main conclusions follow from the studies in this volume. First, to strengthen its legitimacy and effectiveness, the Fund needs greater, higher level and more transparent involvement of member country authorities in its governance. Second, the Board needs to play a stronger role in strategy development and oversight, which requires a shift away from the day-to-day business of the organization. Finally, there are significant accountability gaps that need to be addressed if the IMF is to remain effective and regain legitimacy.
2008
October 10, 2008
IEO Annual Report, 2008
Description: This fifth Annual Report describes the activities of the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) during the year to April 30, 2008. This period saw the completion of two evaluations, "Structural Conditionality in IMF-Supported Programs" smf "Governance of the IMF".