Leiden University Student Repository

Nanninga, Myrthe (2020)

The IMF and the Politics of Inequality: The Case of Argentina, 2000-2018

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

In recent years the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has evidenced an increased attention to inequality, directly responding to concerns about adverse impacts of IMF fiscal consolidation policies. This thesis explores whether and to what extent the increased attention to inequality observed in the agency’s public presentation has been accompanied by substantive changes in its policies. It does so through an exploration of continuity and change in the IMF’s operations in Argentina. With its recent history of recurrent fiscal crises and turbulent politics, Argentina is a particularly interesting context in which to explore continuity and change in the IMF’s policy and practices. The thesis finds that while the IMF’s increased attention in equality is indeed reflected in its policies, the changes are modest when compared to earlier loan arrangements and that a gap remains between the agency’s rhetorical statements on inequality and the practical implications of its policies. In so...Show moreIn recent years the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has evidenced an increased attention to inequality, directly responding to concerns about adverse impacts of IMF fiscal consolidation policies. This thesis explores whether and to what extent the increased attention to inequality observed in the agency’s public presentation has been accompanied by substantive changes in its policies. It does so through an exploration of continuity and change in the IMF’s operations in Argentina. With its recent history of recurrent fiscal crises and turbulent politics, Argentina is a particularly interesting context in which to explore continuity and change in the IMF’s policy and practices. The thesis finds that while the IMF’s increased attention in equality is indeed reflected in its policies, the changes are modest when compared to earlier loan arrangements and that a gap remains between the agency’s rhetorical statements on inequality and the practical implications of its policies. In so doing, the thesis contributes to scholarship on the IMF and the political economy of contemporary Argentina.Show less

IMF

Inequality

Argentina

Fiscal consolidation

Policy change

Author

Nanninga, Myrthe

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Global Political Economy

Supervisors

London, J.D.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en