Introduction [a: The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Southern Europe]

Offering an interdisciplinary analysis of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank’s (WB) interventions in Southern Europe during a transformative period in the 20th century and focusing on Southern Europe as its geographical frame, this volume brings together leading scholars from international history, economics and economic history to examine how these international financial institutions influenced, and were influenced by, economic and political developments in the region. Written by specialists in the field, the volume presents national case studies in order to analyze the role of the IMF/WB in Southern Europe during key historical moments such as post-World War II reconstruction, the economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s, the crises of the 1970s, the collapse of the Bretton Woods system and the transitions from authoritarian regimes to democracy. It examines both the institutional evolution of the IMF and the WB, and the role of member states, thereby providing a more comprehensive understanding of how these organizations operated within a regional and international context.