Search for Articles:
Journal:
Subject:
Open Access
文章

Structural Dilemma and Governance Solutions of International Financial Organizations in Developing Countries’ Debt Crisis Management a Social Network Perspective


Xinyan Xu1,*Haocheng Yin2

School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
2 School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Shanghai International Studies, Shanghai, China.
Correspondence: Xinyuan Xu, E-mail: xxyolivia@sjtu.edu.cn
 
J. Int. Eco. Glo. Gov., 2025, 2(4), 77-97; https://doi.org/10.12414/jiegg.250614
Received : 31 May 2025 / Revised : 04 Jun 2025 / Accepted : 09 Jun 2025 / Published : 25 Jun 2025
© The Author(s). Published by MOSP. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.
Cite
Abstract
 
The frequent occurrence of global economic crises and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a surge in the scale of debt in developing countries, a concentrated peak in debt repayment, and increased uncertainty in debt repayment capacity, and global debt governance faces severe challenges. The current global debt governance model is similar to a complex network. The differentiation of interests and imbalance of weights between nodes in the network, the obstacles to the flow of resources at the edge layer, and the variable viscosity of the topological structure have resulted in flaws in the governance mechanism and increased the cost and difficulty of governance. In view of this, this paper innovatively uses network analysis to place the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the international community network for empirical analysis to strengthen the theoretical understanding of debt governance. At present, the IMF plays a key but limited role in the debt governance of South Asian countries: at the node level, the conflict of interests between the IMF and the victimized developing countries and shareholders hinders the formation of governance consensus; at the edge level, the IMF's attention to the debt problems of developing countries lags behind, resulting in poor information flow and politicization of resource allocation; at the topological structure level, the instrumental attributes of the IMF and the simplification of governance measures have further damaged the governance effectiveness. Based on the above research, this article believes that promoting the reform of international organizations to adapt to the current economic situation, strengthening the positive interaction with various actors, and transcending the traditional concept of "others" are the inevitable ways to solve the governance dilemma. By promoting the continuous updating of the debt governance network, making it more reflective of the current political and economic situation, and more fair and effective, we can ensure global economic and financial stability and sustainable development.
 
Keywords: International Monetary Fund, Developing Countries, Sovereign Debt Crises, Social Network Perspective
 
Download the full text PDF for viewing and using it according to the license of this paper.

Funding

    None.

Conflicts of Interest:

    The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report regarding the present study.

References

  1. Brautigam, D. (2024, July 20). The developing world’s coming debt crisis: America and China need to cooperate on relief. Foreign Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/developing-worlds-coming-debt-crisis
  2. Chen, Q. W. (1998). IMF in the Southeast Asian currency crisis: New challenges and reflections. International Economic & Trade Exploration, 3, 33–36.
  3. Chen, X. Y., & Qiu, W. D. (2024). “Digital capitalism” center–periphery structure: Morphological evolution, essential perspective, and real-world implications. The Economist, (1), 36–44.
  4. Colerdek, G. W., & Liao, Z. (2020). World politics and economics after the pandemic. Foreign Social Sciences, (5), 73–81.
  5. Ding, Y. F., & Zhao, K. (2014). Sovereign debt, financing capacity, and the rise and fall of nations: Responding to changes in the global debt landscape. European Studies, (1), 38–52.
  6. Fischer, A. M., & Storm, S. (2023). The return of debt crisis in developing countries: Shifting or maintaining dominant development paradigms? Development and Change, 54(5), 954–993.
  7. Gantheram, W., & Li, X. R. (2015). Lessons the IMF should learn from the Greek crisis. International Economic Review, (5), 163–165.
  8. He, L., & Zhang, X. (2022). Pandemic shocks, global mass impoverishment, and China’s responses. Shanghai Economic Research, (7), 84–102.
  9. Jiang, C. X. (2022). Reform and development pathways of the World Bank’s accountability mechanisms. International Law Studies, (5), 108–128.
  10. Lawder, D. (2020, April 1). Mnuchin says IMF and World Bank funds won’t repay debts to China. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-debt/mnuchin-says-imf-and-world-bankfunds-wont-repay-debts-to-china
  11. Li, G. X., Shi, Y. Y., & Cao, G. X. (2018). Topology structure based on detrended cross‐correlation coefficient of exchange rate network of the Belt and Road countries. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, (509), 1140–1151.
  12. Li, J. (2023). “Xinhua Washington Consensus” and the transformation of American economic strategy. International Studies,(5), 48–70.
  13. Li, J. J., & Lin, F. L. (2022). Global financial governance: Driving forces, intrinsic defects, and logic of change. Social Sciences, (4), 120–132.
  14. Liao, F. (2020). Legitimacy dilemma of global financial governance and responses. Law Studies, (5), 37–54.
  15. Liu, M., & Niu, W. G. (2023). U.S.–Japan–India–Australia economic “Cold War” thinking challenges to the Belt and Road Initiative: Current status, drivers, and suggestions. South Asian Quarterly, (2), 74–92.
  16. Shan, S. (2023). Reframing the Western world’s sanctions on Russia from the perspective of the “other.” International Relations Research, (2), 61–79.
  17. Shahzad, H., Raazia, G., & Sabeeh, U. (2023). Role of financial inclusion and ICT for sustainable economic development in developing countries. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 194.
  18. Strange, S. (2019). States and markets (3rd ed., Y. Y. Yang, Trans.). Shanghai People’s Publishing. (Original work published 1988)
  19. Sun, J. S. (2022). Global development governance and the enhancement of China’s governance discourse power. World Economy and Politics, (12), 4–31.
  20. Tian, Y., & An, Y. N. (2023). Mechanism choices in the weaponization of international institutions. World Economy and Politics, (11), 24–60.
  21. Wang, J. Q., & Huang, M. B. (2022). Financialization of the world economy and the enforcement mechanism of sovereign debt responsibilities. Diplomatic Review (Journal of the China Foreign Affairs University), 2, 87–109.
  22. Wang, Q. Z., & Li, J. L. (2023). The political economy of debt relief by developed countries to developing countries: Capital logic and participation constraints. Nankai Economic Research, (12), 47–64.
  23. Wang, Z., & Feng, K. (2024). Political-economic explanations for the new round of debt problems in developing countries: “Debt intolerance” and global governance dilemmas. Diplomatic Review (Journal of the China Foreign Affairs University), (4), 115–154.
  24. Wei, M. (2023). Issues and trends facing the world economy under high inflation. Contemporary World, (10), 46–51.
  25. Wu, S., Sun, L. Y., & Xiong, W. T. (2023). Sovereign debt in developing countries: A systematic, comprehensive, and effective integrated resolution framework. Latin American Studies, (2), 2–17.
  26. Xu, Q. Y., & Xiong, W. T. (2022). Risks of a global “stagflation‐type” debt crisis: Post‐pandemic global economic outlook. Financial Forum, (1), 3–8.
  27. Yue, S. S. (2024). Evolution of international institutional change and discourse power patterns: The case of global economic governance. Northeast Asia Forum, (2), 98–113.
  28. Zhao, H. F. (2017). Impact of RMB’s inclusion in the SDR on China and the IMF. Economic System Reform, (3), 136–141.
  29. Zhao, X., & Jin, C. R. (2023). Structural characteristics of the international financial system and financial security governance. Journal of Fujian Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), (1), 57–67.
  30. Zhou, S. (2019). IMF governance flaws, root causes, and paths for reform. International Trade Exploration, (10), 108–118.
  31. Zhou, S., & Fu, Z. (2022). Fintech and transformative change in the global financial governance system: A re‐exploration based on international financial public goods theory. Northeast Asia Forum, (6), 105–121.
  32. Zhou, Y. Y. (2020). The politicization of developing‐country debt issues: Impacts and reflections. International Outlook, (1), 85–107.

© The Author(s). Published by MOSP
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

Yin, H.; Xu, X,. Structural Dilemma and Governance Solutions of International Financial Organizations in Developing Countries’ Debt Crisis Management a Social Network Perspective. Journal of International Economy and Global Governance 2025, 2 (4), 77-97. https://doi.org/10.12414/jiegg.250614.

Subscribe Your Manuscript