The Asian financial crisis and the global economic turmoil that followed
it have highlighted the need to avert financial crises and resolve them
quickly if they do occur. This book addresses current concerns that
existing institutional arrangements, including the Bretton Woods
institutions, can no longer adequately cope with today's world of high
capital mobility. It provides a critical assessment of competing
proposals to better predict, forestall, and resolve international
financial crises and outlines a practical and pragmatic agenda for
reform. The recommendations are based on the belief that financial
markets can malfunction, creating a compelling case for a financial
safety net (and therefore a role for the IMF), but also creating
problems of moral hazard that must be addressed.