This is the history of the institutions and individuals who have managed the global economy
from the World Monetary and Economic Conference in the wake of the Great Depression to the
present as leading nations tackle the fallout from Covid-19 and the threats of inflation food
security and climate change. Since the Second World War organisations created at Bretton Woods
- the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development
- and afterwards - the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs and the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development - have left an indelible mark on our contemporary world. Martin
Daunton examines the swings of the pendulum over ninety years between the forces of democracy
national determination and globalization. He shows that the structures of economic government
have been overwhelmingly shaped by 'first world' powers often to the dismay of developing
countries. He argues that whilst structures cannot be separated from the politics of and
between the biggest economies future global recovery rests on the reduction of inequality and
that multilateral institutions are fundamental in fostering inclusive growth.
