Abstract: |
This thesis focuses on the International Monetary Fund. The first part consists of three chapters and it examines the Fund as a respected, yet disputes sparking institution. The first chapter describes the history of the Fund from its founding in Bretton Woods in 1944 to the recent financial crisis. The second chapter focuses on the Fund’s operation nowadays. Information about special drawing rights, member quotas system, and about Fund’s financial resources and their use can all be found there. Recent reforms and the organizational structure are also a part of the second chapter. The third chapter presents the main points of critique of the Fund. The second part of the thesis examines specific Fund activities in two central European countries with the focus on periods in which the Fund’s assistance was the most significant. The fourth chapter concentrates on Fund operations in the Czech Republic after the membership resumption in 1990. The fifth chapter explains Fund activities in Hungary, which has been a member since 1982 but has drawn particular attention in recent years since the outburst of the financial crisis. |