International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn walks out of Federal Court on the day that he is Indicted on charges of sexually attacking a maid at a Manhattan hotel at 100 Centre Street in New York City on May 19, 2011. UPI/Richard Drew/Pool |
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COLLEGE PARK, Md., May 20 (UPI) -- The debate over whether a European or Asian should lead the International Monetary Fund involves more than symbolism. An Asian leader could be bad for free markets and the progress of the global economy.
After World War II, the World Bank was established to provide long-term financial and technical assistance to developing countries and the IMF was created to manage a system of fixed exchange rates. Essentially, the U.S. dollar was pegged to gold and other currencies to the dollar. The Americans got the head of the World Bank and the Europeans the IMF.
With the demise of the fixed exchange rate system in the 1970s, the IMF mission evolved to providing short-term loans to countries with sovereign debt issues -- that is why it is currently involved in Greece's debt problems -- and advocating transparent, market determined exchange rates.
Too many Asian governments on too many occasions have flaunted the system of market-determined exchange rates and violated World Trade Organization rules against manipulating exchange rates to accomplish competitive advantages and trade surpluses -- the WTO defers policing such abuses to the IMF. Notably abusers have included China, India and Japan, which constitute the lion share of Asian gross domestic product.
Were the Asians permitted to capture the IMF bureaucracy, its role could easily morph into sustaining exchange rate relationships that greatly disadvantage U.S. and European growth. Slow growth caused by the global trade imbalances, created by undervalued Asian currencies, make worse sovereign debt problems in Europe and U.S. federal and state budget challenges.
Asian growth has been remarkable but it has come in some measure from Asian governments breaking the rules -- now we shouldn't put them in charge of enforcing those rules.
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(Peter Morici is a professor at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland School, and former chief economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission.)
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(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)
