Spotlight G-20: Why Capital Controls Are Not All Bad

Ilene Grabel and Ha-Joon Chang, from Financial Times
Part of a Triple Crisis series leading up to the Nov. 11-12 G-20 meetings.

Last Monday, Triple Crisis contributor Ilene Grabel co-authored the following piece for the Financial Times with noted author Ha-Joon Chang, building on an FT-hosted debate that included an earlier contribution by Triple Crisis blogger Kevin P. Gallagher. They urge the leaders of the G-20 economies to acknowledge the need for a new international financial architecture in the wake of the global financial crisis and the widespread adoption of currency controls in the developing world at their upcoming summit in Seoul, on November 11-12. Their piece kicks off the Triple Crisis Blog’s “Spotlight: G-20” series. Starting today and running through the G-20’s crucial meetings, we will feature daily pieces from Triple Crisis bloggers and guest contributors on the key issues that need to be addressed at the upcoming summit.

Was it really just over a decade ago that the International Monetary Fund and investors howled when Malaysia imposed capital controls in response to the Asian financial crisis? We ask because suddenly those times seem so distant. Today, the IMF is not just sitting on its hands as country after country resurrects capital controls, but is actually going so far as to promote their use. What about the investors whose freedoms are eclipsed by the new controls? Well, their enthusiasm for foreign lending and investing has not been damped in the least. So what is going on here? In our view, nothing short of the most significant transformation in global financial management of the past 30 years.

Read full article at Financial Times

Read more capital controls from Triple Crisis and at the Global Development and Environment Institute.