The IMF and the Greek Crisis: Myths and Realities

Sign up to receive free e-mail notices when new series and/or country items are posted on the IMF website. MODIFY YOUR PROFILE September 30, 2019 Good evening. It is my pleasure to be here. I would like to thank the Hellenic Observatory and professor Featherstone for the invitation and you all for coming. Let me make a few caveats at the outset: First, while my discussion of the IMF’s role in Greece will draw conclusions about outstanding issues, I will not discuss the new government’s program. That would be premature. Second, this is not a comprehensive review. I address three key issues: the fiscal adjustment, the reasons for the unexpected deep recession and the sovereign debt issue. I ignore other important issues like financial sector issues. And these are personal views, not official IMF views. You can find a more comprehensive review in our Independent Evaluation Office’s report. Third, I will focus mainly on the criticism of the program, on what went wrong, at the risk of appea

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• Ayushi Batwara