Book Review: Pop-Eleches, G. (2009). From Economic Crisis to Reform: IMF Programs in Latin America and Eastern Europe. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
Abstract
Book Review Pop-Eleches, G. (2009). From Economic Crisis to Reform: IMF Programs in Latin America and Eastern Europe. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press SAGE Publications, Inc. 200910.1177/0010414009341245 Aleksandra SznajderLee University of Richmond, Virginia Grigore Pop-Eleches’s book on the interaction of international and domestic determinants of IMF-style reforms in developing countries makes a signifi- cant contribution to international and comparative political economy literature. His effort to capture the dynamics of the contentious and complex relationship between the IMF and developing countries/emerging markets in Latin America and Eastern Europe represents midrange theorizing at its best. The author combines insights from international and comparative political economy literatures to pursue comple- mentary questions. From the international effect perspective: What role do econo- mic crises play in the initiation and implementation of IMF-backed economic reform? Is the IMF impartial in its policy and financial support for countries in need? In what ways do IMF lending patterns reflect the changing demands of inter- national financial markets as well as the shifting priorities of advanced industriali- zed democracies? The domestic perspective is equally important for the analysis as the author investigates which constellations of domestic interests and institutions are condu- cive to the initiation and