经济学人下载:国际货币基金变革时机

The IMF
国际货币基金组织

Time for a change
变革时机

Why a euro-zone finance minister, even a talented one, should not lead the IMF
为什么欧元区财政部长，即使才能卓越，也不应该担任IMF总裁

OFFICIALLY the search for a new head of the IMF, to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who awaits trial on charges of sexual assault, has barely begun. The fund’s member governments have until June 10th to propose candidates, after which a shortlist will be drawn up. But in practice the race seems all but over. That is because European countries, which hold over a third of the votes on the IMF’s board, have rallied around a single contender: France’s finance minister, Christine Lagarde.

为取代因性侵犯指控而等待审判的多米尼克??斯特劳斯??卡恩，官方物色卡恩继任者的程序已然启动。基金组织成员国必须在6月10日前提交其候选人，最终形成一份总候选人名单。但实际上，这场竞争似乎已经结束。由于在IMF董事会有三分之一投票权的欧洲国家已经联合起来支持他们的单一候选人：法国财长，克里斯蒂娜·拉加德（Christine Lagarde）。

In contrast, emerging economies, which have long argued that the fund should have a non-European boss, have so far conspicuously failed to fix on an alternative candidate. The Americans, kingmakers in this contest, have said little in public but in private seem happy with Ms Lagarde, not least because they hope to keep both the deputy’s job at the fund and the presidency of the World Bank. Barring embarrassments, one French politician is likely to succeed another.

相比之下，新兴经济体国家一直认为基金组织总裁应该由欧洲以外的人担任，但至今他们也没确定一位适合的候选人。在这场竞争中有决定权的美国人，在公开场合虽未说什么，但私下却似乎愿意拉加德当选。重要的是，他们希望将IMF副手和世界银行的总裁职位都由美国人担任。除了局面尴尬，竞争结局很可能是两名法国政客间的接替。