The IMF provides policy advice to governments and central banks, publishes research, statistics, forecasts, and analysis; helps countries overcome economic difficulties and poverty; and offers technical assistance and training to governments. IMF publications and documents are Open Access via the IMF eLibrary and the IMF offers open access to much of their data. UC Berkeley also subscribes to databases such as CEIC and Data Planet which offer ease of use features for IMF data sets.
IMF elibrary. Open Access to IMF’s periodicals, books, working papers and studies, data and statistics.
Annual Report of the Executive Board. Overview of IMF activities each year with detailed fiscal data of IMF operations in the appendices.
Finance and Development. Quarterly magazine of the IMF with articles and book reviews on topics in international economics, finance, and economic development.
Fiscal Monitor. Surveys and analyzes public finance developments, updates fiscal projections, and assess policies to put public finances.
Global Financial Stability Report. Biennial report focusing on international capital markets and other market issues: investment banks, securities firms, hedge funds, insurance companies, pension funds, etc. Preceded by International Capital Markets.
IMF Economic Review. Peer review journal on macroeconomics, global economic policies, open economy macroeconomics, international finance and trade.
IMF Research Perspectives. Key components of research done at the IMF and with a listing of research documents and activities. Previously called IMF research Bulletin.
IMF Staff Discussion Notes. Showcase the latest policy-related analysis and research being developed by individual IMF staff and are published to elicit comment and to further debate
IMF Staff Papers. Economic journal issued three times a year focusing on theoretical and empirical analysis of macroeconomic issues. Succeeded in 2010 by the IMF Economic Review.
IMF Working Papers. Large series of papers dating on a wide range of topics: balance of payments, monetary and fiscal issues, global liquidity etc.
IMF Policy Discussion Papers. IMF non-technical papers in the areas of policy design.
World Economic Outlooks. IMF surveys presenting IMF staff economists' analyses of global economic developments. Includes an extensive statistical appendix and regional economic outlooks.
One criticism of the IMF is the practice of "conditionality" where the IMF imposes policy conditions on countries that receive loans and debt relief packages. The following sources are a starting point for this topic.
Article IV Staff Reports. Country surveillance reports conducted by IMF missions teams on an ongoing basis for all member states, and reports made in response to states' requests to borrow funds. Not all reports are made public.
Country Information. Rich source of information by country: see especially the statistical appendices.
Country Policy Intention Documents. Documents prepared by countries outlining policy intentions for use of Fund resources or staff-monitored programs. These documents include Letters of Intent and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers.
IMF Factsheet on Conditionality. The IMF's explantion and definition of the practice see also the IMF Factsheet on Surveillance.
Monitoring of Funds Database (MONA). Comprehensive database covering the economic objectives and outcomes of Fund-supported programs including conditionality.
Precautionary Balances. Also known as the IMF surcharge policy, requiring countries with high levels of conventional IMF debt to pay additional fees.
Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions. Tracks exchange and trade arrangements for IMF countries providing a comprehensive description of all exchange and trade systems.
Balance of Payments Statistics. Presents balance of payments statistics for approximately 160 countries and international investment position data for 35 countries. Includes aggregate data on financial derivatives & foreign direct investment.
Data Template on International Reserves and Foreign Liquidity. Re-disseminates IMF member countries' data on international reserves and foreign currency liquidity in a common template and in a common currency (the U.S. dollar).
Direction of Trade Statistics. Annual & quarterly aggregate international trade data for approximately 250 countries from 1980 to present. NOTE: for data from 1948 to 1980 please consult the Direction of Trade Statistics Historical CD ROM.
Fiscal Monitor. Launched in 2009 to survey and analyze the latest public finance developments, update fiscal implications of the crisis and medium-term fiscal projections, and assess policies to put public finances on a sustainable footing.
Government Finance Statistics. Offers detailed revenues and expenditures for different levels of government for many nations. Please see the ICPSR data set for earlier years of this data. Consult with the library data lab for file format conversions.
International Financial Statistics. Includes data on exchange and interest rates, balance of payments, government finance, national accounts, prices, foreign reserves, and much more.
International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity. Re-disseminates IMF member countries' data on international reserves and foreign currency liquidity in a common template and in a common currency (the U.S. dollar).
Monitoring of Funds Database (MONA). Comprehensive database covering the economic objectives and outcomes of Fund-supported programs including quantitative and structural conditionality.
World Economic Outlook Databases. Selected macroeconomic data series from the World Economic Outlook report, which presents IMF analysis and projections of economic developments at the global level, major country groups and individual countries.
World Revenue Longitudinal Database. Compilation of government revenue data from the IMF's Government Finance Statistics, World Economic Outlook, and other sources.
Coordinated Direct Investment Survey. Presents detailed data on "inward" direct investment positions cross-classified by economy of immediate investor, and data on "outward" direct investment positions cross-classified by economy of immediate investment. Earliest data is from 2009 for select countries.
Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey. Only global survey of portfolio investment holdings and information on cross-border holdings of equities and long and short-term debt securities classified by the economy of residence of the issuer.
Financial Access Survey. Comprehensive global source of data on access to, and use of, basic consumer financial services by households and non-financial corporations. Includes data on mobile money indicators. Annual data from 2004.