Special Drawing Rights Archives

CEPR's two-pager explanation document on Special Drawing Rights.

Op-Ed/Commentary

IMFSpecial Drawing RightsWorld Immediate Help for Developing Countries Is Available, But the US Treasury Department Is Blocking It

It makes no sense for Treasury to block aid, which can save hundreds of thousands of lives in the world, as well as jobs in the US– all at zero cost to the US budget.

Mark Weisbrot / THE NATION / July 12, 2023

Op-Ed/Commentary

IMFSpecial Drawing RightsWorld The International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights: Why a New Issuance is Necessary and Feasible at this Time, and Would Save Many Lives

The SDR issuance last year probably saved hundreds of thousands of lives, if we use, e.g., the Bank for International Settlements’ research on the relation between recessions and mortality.

Mark Weisbrot Joe Sammut / November 30, 2022

report

IMFSpecial Drawing RightsWorld The Case for More Special Drawing Rights: Rechanneling Is No Substitute for a New Allocation

In this paper, we will demonstrate that by turning a reserve asset that adds nothing to a country’s debt, and that has no conditions attached to it, into a loan with conditions attached, the main proposals for rechanneling SDRs have altered the nature of

Ivana Vasic-Lalovic / October 13, 2022

Op-Ed/Commentary

IMFSpecial Drawing RightsWorld Special Drawing Rights One Year Later, By the Numbers

This work updates an April 2022 report and tracks how countries made use of these SDRs from August 23, 2021 to July 31, 2022.

Andrés Arauz Kevin Cashman / August 24, 2022