1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21330Updated April 14, 2004The International Monetary Fund: Current ReformsMartin A. WeissAnalyst in International Trade and FinanceForeign Affairs, Defense, and Trade DivisionSummar
2、yIn the wake of financial crises in Mexico (1994-1995), East Asia (1997-1998),Russia (1998), Argentina and Turkey (2000-2001), the IMF has been challenged torethink both its core mission, its operations, and its lending activities. The IMF hasresponded to its critics with numerous reforms. The refor
3、ms fall into three broadcategories: crisis prevention, crisis management, and the IMFs role in economicdevelopment. This issue is of ongoing interest to Congress, which plays an active rolein the reform agenda and periodically is asked to appropriate funds for the U.S. quotain the IMF. This report w
4、ill be updated as events warrant. BackgroundThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization with acurrent membership of 184 countries. Conceived at the 1944 Bretton Woods conference,the IMFs core mission is to foster economic growth and increased international trade bysupporti