Legislating International Organization: The US Congress, the IMF, and the World BankIn Legislating International Organization, Kathryn Lavelle argues against the commonly-held idea that key international organizations are entities unto themselves, immune from the influence and pressures of individual states' domestic policies. Covering the history of the IMF and World Bank from their origins, she shows that domestic political constituencies in advanced industrial states have always been important drivers of international financial institution policy. Lavelle focuses in particular on the U.S. Congress, tracing its long history of involvement with these institutions and showing how it wields significant influence. Drawing from archival research and interviews with members and staff, Lavelle shows that Congress is not particularly hostile to the multilateralism inherent in the IMF and World Bank, and has championed them at several key historical junctures. Congress is not uniformly supportive of these institutions, however. As Lavelle illustrates, it is more defensive of its constitutionally designated powers and more open to competing interest group concerns than legislatures in other advanced industrial states. Legislating International Organization will reshape how we think about how the U.S. Congress interacts with international institutions and more broadly about the relationship of domestic politics to global governance throughout the world. This is especially relevant given the impact of 2008 financial crisis, which has made the issue of multilateralism in American politics more important than ever. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
1 Congressional Advocacy Toward International Organizations | 16 |
Treasury and Congressional Compromise | 39 |
Banks Big Business and the Cold War Coalition | 62 |
The End of Fixed Parity and the Rise of Development Lending | 85 |
The 1982 Debt Crisis and End of the Cold War | 107 |
The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis | 130 |
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Legislating International Organization: The US Congress, the IMF, and the ... Kathryn C. Lavelle No preview available - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
Accession activities administration Agreement amendment American appropriations approval argued arrangements Association authorization became bill Bretton Woods budget capital chair coalition Commission Committee concerns conference Cong Congress congressional connection constituencies Council countries created crisis debt Democratic Department direct director domestic economic efforts established executive Foreign Fund future Global gold groups Hagley House IFIs IMF and World included increase individual influence initial institutions interest International International Monetary involvement issues League legislation lending Library loans major March markets meeting members of Congress ment multilateral negotiations NFTC Nonetheless officials operations opposed organizations participation party passed political position president problem proposals quota reform relations Republican result Robert role securities seek Senate Services sought specific staff stage tion Trade Treasury United vote Washington World Bank York