Global Public Policy Institute
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24 May 2011
GPPi contributes to ongoing debate on selection of new IMF head
GPPi Associate Director Thorsten Benner's contributions have featured prominently in the debate over the selection of the new International Monetary Fund managing director in the German media. In a Spiegel Online op-ed last week, Benner argued that in order to maintain credibility on the international stage, Europe should stick to its commitment that the next IMF head be chosen in a merit-based process, providing opportunities for highly qualified candidates from developing and emerging countries. In interviews with the magazine Cicero Online and the radio station Inforadio, Benner emphasized that Europe should be concerned with tackling the Euro crisis through better European policies, instead of than concerning itself with the placement of a position that is ultimately of minor importance to the crisis. Benner underlined that he did not advocate the permanent installment of a token representative from a rising power. Rather, he said that it is inconsistent to assert that a European is best placed to deal with current challenges when declaring merely two years ago at the G20 that Europe would surrender its long-held privilege of appointing the IMF head from its own ranks. Benner and GPPi fellow Oliver Stuenkel also published an article (in Portuguese) on 21 May 2011 defending this view in the Brazilian newspaper O Globo.
Alternative viewpoints have been offered by, among others, Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Kleine-Brockhoff argued that Europe should not simply unilaterally give up this important position in a particular context where intimate knowledge of European affairs has been a great asset in responsibly meeting the challenges of the Euro crisis. A realignment of power in the IMF should take the form of a comprehensive package, which also has to entail concrete commitment by rising powers.
Various commentators, including Andre Wilkens of the Mercator Foundation in the Süddeutsche Zeitung on 21 May 2011, have mentioned Turkish national Kemal Dervis as a highly qualified candidate. But Dervis has said that he not available for this position, therefore the debate on the selection of the new IMF head continues.
For further information, please contact Thorsten Benner.