75 Years After Bretton Woods: Does the World Need a New Global System?

This workshop will include lectures by and discussion with senior level experts in the field

Overview

The year of 2019 marked the 75th anniversay of the agreement that shaped the global monetary system. Last year at the Jackson Hole meeting, Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, claimed that "The deficiencies of the international monetary and financial system have become increasingly potent", and suggested the replacement of the U.S. dollar with a synthetic hegemonic currency based on a basket of central bank digital currencies.

The criticism to the Bretton Woods institutions date as far back as the conference itself, when John Maynard Keynes argued the need for a system that resolved imbalances through expansion rather than adjustment, and proposed the Bancor as its currency. However, the critiques have been piling up in the previous years, mostly due to the increasing challenge presented by global commercial imbalances, the internationalization of the renmibi, and the development of cryptocurrencies.

In this context, the workshop aims to discuss the adequacy of the Bretton Woods institutions for the current global financial system, and explore alternative proposals for a global financial governance.

How to Attend

Anyone with an interest in the topic is encouraged to apply. Workshop participants are also invited to the INET Conference that will follow on 14-15 April, ahead of the IMF and World Bank Meetings on 16-18 April. Interested participants residing outside the DC area may request to be considered for partial travel support and/or accommodation. In your application, please attach your CV and motivation, and elaborate on how your work and your interests align with the goals of the workshop, and the partner organization.