The Influence of Multilateral Development Institutions on Latin American Development Strategies

Multilateral development institutions—especially the International Monetary Fund (imf) and the World Bank—are frequently seen in Latin America as agencies that have imposed their ‘neo-liberal’ or ‘pro-market’ views on countries in the region, working in the interests of Northern countries and multinationals and contributing to persistent underdevelopment, poverty and inequality. On the other hand, some Latin American governments and technocrats have often seen mdis as useful allies in their pursuit of modernising reforms and sensible policies and in their efforts to combat powerful, rent seeking, domestic lobbies. As with most stereotyped narratives, the true story lies somewhere between these