STWR - Share The World's Resources

In February 2010, the IMF reversed its long-held position on capital controls by admitting that they constitute a “legitimate component” of the policymakers’ toolkit. Is this a sign of waning Fund support for uncontrolled finance?

The Fair Trade movement represents one attempt to ensure that producers in the developing world are protected from the exploitative tendencies of the free market. But does certification actually guarantee a better outcome for growers, or is it merely a marketing tool, asks Jill Richardson.

As international commerce expands, the costs are often borne by people at the bottom of the economic ladder. If they have to cross borders in search of their livelihood, trade can become a driver of increased migration, explains Peter Costantini.

WTO director general Pascal Lamy's claim that the poorest will benefit from the conclusion of the Doha round is utterly without foundation. The negotiations should be abandoned and a new process put in place to undo the damage of past trade liberalisations, argues John Hilary.

With a new lease on life in the wake of the financial crisis, the IMF is now enforcing damaging economic reforms on those countries already struggling with the effects of the collapse. Instead, such harsh restructuring should be applied to the institution itself, writes Jayati Ghosh.

Whilst the richest countries remain firmly in control of the IMF and World Bank, replacing the G8 with the G20 will have little impact on the balance of global economic power. Meaningful reform of the world economy is still a long way off, argues Mark Weisbrot.

The push to replace the US dollar as the global reserve currency is growing, but what is the alternative? A new global framework must be established outside the IMF based on shared responsiblity, argues Nick Dearden.