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Long Answer Questions · Q12

Q.Distinguish between the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

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The World Bank and the IMF are often confused because both were established in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference and both are headquartered in Washington, D.C. However, their purposes, the nature of their assistance, and their core concerns are quite different, as set out below.

Basis of distinctionWorld BankInternational Monetary Fund (IMF)
Year established1944 (Bretton Woods Conference)1944 (Bretton Woods Conference)
HeadquartersWashington, D.C., USAWashington, D.C., USA
Primary purposeLong-term development and reconstruction financingShort/medium-term financial assistance for balance-of-payments problems
Nature of assistanceProject and programme loans for infrastructure and developmentLoans to correct temporary external payment imbalances, with policy advice
Core concernEconomic growth, poverty reduction, structural developmentMonetary cooperation and exchange-rate stability
Key instrument/featureLending arms such as IBRD and IDAMaintains the Special Drawing Right (SDR) as a reserve asset

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