The Problem of Holdout Creditors in Eurozone Sovereign Debt Restructurings

Download The Problem of Holdout Creditors in Eurozone Sovereign Debt Restructurings PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 11 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (13 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Problem of Holdout Creditors in Eurozone Sovereign Debt Restructurings by : Lee C. Buchheit

Download or read book The Problem of Holdout Creditors in Eurozone Sovereign Debt Restructurings written by Lee C. Buchheit and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 11 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Eurozone official sector has declared that the belated restructuring of Greek bonds held by private sector creditors in 2012 was a “unique and exceptional” event, never, ever to be repeated in any other Eurozone country. Maybe so. But if this assurance proves in time to be as fragile as the official sector's prior pronouncements on the subject of “private sector involvement” in Eurozone sovereign debt problems, any future Eurozone debt restructuring will be surely plagued by the problem of non-participating creditors -- holdouts. Indeed, it is the undisguised fear of holdouts and the prospect of a messy, Argentine-style debt restructuring in the belly of Europe that has been one of the principal motivations for the official sector's willingness to use its taxpayer money to repay, in full and on time, all of the private sector creditors of Eurozone countries receiving bailouts (the belated Greek restructuring being the sole exception).This article argues that a simple amendment of the Treaty Establishing the European Stability Mechanism (the Eurozone's new bailout facility) could immunize within the confines of the Eurozone the assets of a Eurozone country receiving ESM bailout assistance from attachment by litigious holdout creditors. By thus increasing the difficulties that holdouts would face in enforcing court judgments against a debtor country, the objective of the amendment is to deflate creditor expectations that staying out of an ESM-supported sovereign debt restructuring will lead to a preferential recovery for the holdouts.This measure would also, when taken together with the other steps that the Eurozone has already implemented, substantially replicate the important features of the Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism proposed by the IMF in 2002.

Sovereign Debt Restructuring and the Law

Download Sovereign Debt Restructuring and the Law PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000826708
Total Pages : 194 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sovereign Debt Restructuring and the Law by : Sebastian Grund

Download or read book Sovereign Debt Restructuring and the Law written by Sebastian Grund and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-12-30 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book sheds light on the perhaps most important legal conundrum in the context of sovereign debt restructuring: the holdout creditor problem. Absent an international bankruptcy regime for sovereigns, holdout creditors may delay or even thwart the efficient resolution of sovereign debt crises by leveraging contractual provisions and, in an increasing number of cases, by seeking to enforce a debt claim against the sovereign in courts or international tribunals. Following an introduction to sovereign debt and its restructuring, the book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the holdout creditor problem in the context of the two largest sovereign debt restructuring operations in history: the Argentine restructurings of 2005 and 2010 and the 2012 Greek private sector involvement. By reviewing numerous lawsuits and arbitral proceedings initiated against Argentina and Greece across a dozen different jurisdictions, it distils the organizing principles for ongoing and future cases of sovereign debt restructuring and litigation. It highlights the different approaches judges and arbitrators have adopted when dealing with holdout creditors, ranging from the denial of their contractual right to repayment on human rights grounds to leveraging the international financial infrastructure to coerce governments into meeting holdouts’ demands. To this end, it zooms in on the role the governing law plays in sovereign debt restructurings, revisits the contemporary view on sovereign immunity from suit and enforcement in the international debt context, and examines how creditor rights are balanced with the sovereign’s interest in achieving debt sustainability. Finally, it advances a new genealogy of holdouts, distinguishing between official and private sector holdouts and discussing how the proliferation of new types of uncooperative creditors may affect the sovereign debt architecture going forward. While the book is aimed at practitioners and scholars dealing with sovereign debt and its restructuring, it should also provide the general reader with the understanding of the key legal issues facing countries in debt distress. Moreover, by weaving economic, financial, and political considerations into its analysis of holdout creditor litigation and arbitration, the book also speaks to policymakers without a legal background engaged in the field of international finance and economics.

Sovereign Debt Restructurings 1950-2010

Download Sovereign Debt Restructurings 1950-2010 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 1475505531
Total Pages : 128 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (755 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sovereign Debt Restructurings 1950-2010 by : Mr.Udaibir S. Das

Download or read book Sovereign Debt Restructurings 1950-2010 written by Mr.Udaibir S. Das and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2012-08-01 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper provides a comprehensive survey of pertinent issues on sovereign debt restructurings, based on a newly constructed database. This is the first complete dataset of sovereign restructuring cases, covering the six decades from 1950–2010; it includes 186 debt exchanges with foreign banks and bondholders, and 447 bilateral debt agreements with the Paris Club. We present new stylized facts on the outcome and process of debt restructurings, including on the size of haircuts, creditor participation, and legal aspects. In addition, the paper summarizes the relevant empirical literature, analyzes recent restructuring episodes, and discusses ongoing debates on crisis resolution mechanisms, credit default swaps, and the role of collective action clauses.

Collective Action Clauses and the Restructuring of Sovereign Debt

Download Collective Action Clauses and the Restructuring of Sovereign Debt PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
ISBN 13 : 3110314525
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (13 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Collective Action Clauses and the Restructuring of Sovereign Debt by : Patrick S. Kenadjian

Download or read book Collective Action Clauses and the Restructuring of Sovereign Debt written by Patrick S. Kenadjian and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2013-08-01 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The volume contains articles based on presentations given at a conference hosted by the Institute for Law and Finance of Goethe University on October 27, 2011. Collective action clauses are an example of the typical dichotomy of financial regulation: While the problems are economic in nature, the solutions need to be implemented by law. The Institute for Law and Finance strives to bring together law and finance in order to foster a better mutual understanding of both disciplines and to improve the regulation of financial markets. Thus, the organizers are particularly pleased that eminent experts from the fields of law and finance agreed to participate in the event and to share their views on and experiences with collective action clauses. The presentations given at the conference have been updated in 2012 to reflect recent developments.

The Problem that Wasn't

Download The Problem that Wasn't PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 146392464X
Total Pages : 29 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (639 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Problem that Wasn't by : Ran Bi

Download or read book The Problem that Wasn't written by Ran Bi and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2011-11-01 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contrary to widespread expectation, debt renegotiations in the era of bond finance have generally been quick and involved little litigation. We present a model that rationalizes the initial fears and offers interpretations for why they did not materialize. When the exchange offer is sufficiently attractive vis-à-vis holding out, full participation can be an equilibrium. Legal innovations such as minimum participation thresholds and defensive exit consents helped coordinate creditors and avoid litigation. Unlike CACs, exit consents can be exploited to force high haircuts on creditors, but the ability of creditors to coordinate to block exit consents can limit overly aggressive use.

Too Little, Too Late

Download Too Little, Too Late PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 023154202X
Total Pages : 307 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Too Little, Too Late by : Martin Guzman

Download or read book Too Little, Too Late written by Martin Guzman and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2016-05-10 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The current approach to resolving sovereign debt crises does not work: sovereign debt restructurings come too late and address too little. Though unresolved debt crises impose enormous costs on societies, many recent restructurings have not been deep enough to provide the conditions for economic recovery (as illustrated by the Greek debt restructuring of 2012). And if the debtor decides not to accept the terms demanded by the creditors, finalizing a restructuring can be slowed by legal challenges (as illustrated by the recent case of Argentina, deemed as "the trial of the century"). A fresh start for distressed debtors is a basic principle of a well-functioning market economy, yet there is no international bankruptcy framework for sovereign debts. While this problem is not new, the United Nations and the global community are now willing to do something about it. Providing guidance for those who intend to take up reform, this book assesses the relative merits of various debt-restructuring proposals, especially in relation to the main deficiencies of the current nonsystem. With contributions by leading academics and practitioners, Too Little, Too Late reflects the overwhelming consensus among specialists on the need to find workable solutions.

Restructuring Sovereign Bonds

Download Restructuring Sovereign Bonds PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9789289940092
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (4 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Restructuring Sovereign Bonds by : Chuck Fang

Download or read book Restructuring Sovereign Bonds written by Chuck Fang and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sovereign debt crises are difficult to solve. This paper studies the "holdout problem", meaning the risk that creditors refuse to participate in a debt restructuring. We document a large variation in holdout rates, based on a comprehensive new dataset of 23 bond restructurings with external creditors since 1994. We then study the determinants of holdouts and find that the size of creditor losses (haircuts) is among the best predictors at the bond level. In a restructuring, bonds with higher haircuts see higher holdout rates, and the same is true for small bonds and those issued under foreign law. Collective action clauses (CACs) are effective in reducing holdout risks. However, classic CACs, with bond-by-bond voting, are not sufficient to assure high participation rates. Only the strongest form of CACs, with single-limb aggregate voting, minimizes the holdout problem according to our simulations. The results help to inform theory as well as current policy initiatives on reforming sovereign bond markets.

Pre-emptive Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Holdout Litigation

Download Pre-emptive Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Holdout Litigation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9783957294692
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (946 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Pre-emptive Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Holdout Litigation by : Kartik Anand

Download or read book Pre-emptive Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Holdout Litigation written by Kartik Anand and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We offer an analytical framework for studying "pre-emptive" debt exchanges. Countries can tailor a sovereign bankruptcy framework by choosing provisions (or "haircuts") ex ante, but must contend with the market discipline of holdout litigation ex post. Secondary markets play a role in shaping the holdout costs facing the sovereign, and our results suggest that it is optimal to prioritise the rights of holdout creditors during litigation so that they are always paid in full. We clarify how macroeconomic and legal factors influence the choice of haircut. Our model contributes to the debate on sovereign debt restructuring by formalizing Bolton and Skeel's (2004) notion of a "Designer SDRM".

Sovereign Debt

Download Sovereign Debt PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118017552
Total Pages : 435 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (18 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sovereign Debt by : Rob Quail

Download or read book Sovereign Debt written by Rob Quail and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-02-25 with total page 435 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An intelligent analysis of the dangers, opportunities, and consequences of global sovereign debt Sovereign debt is growing internationally at a terrifying rate, as nations seek to prop up their collapsing economies. One only needs to look at the sovereign risk pressures faced by Greece, Spain, and Ireland to get an idea of how big this problem has become. Understanding this dilemma is now more important than ever, that's why Robert Kolb has compiled Sovereign Debt. With this book as your guide, you'll gain a better perspective on the essential issues surrounding sovereign debt and default through discussions of national defaults, systemic risk, associated costs, and much more. Historical studies are also included to provide a realistic framework of reference. Contains up-to-date research and analysis on sovereign debt from today's leading practitioners and academics Details the dangers of defaults and their associated systemic risks Explores the past, present, and future of sovereign debt The repercussions of a national default are all-encompassing as global markets are intricately interwoven in the modern world. Sovereign Debt examines what it will take to overcome the challenges of this market and how you can deal with the uncertainty surrounding it.

You Never Give Me Your Money? Sovereign Debt Crises, Collective Action Problems, and IMF Lending

Download You Never Give Me Your Money? Sovereign Debt Crises, Collective Action Problems, and IMF Lending PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 1475533829
Total Pages : 50 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (755 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis You Never Give Me Your Money? Sovereign Debt Crises, Collective Action Problems, and IMF Lending by : Mr.Marco Committeri

Download or read book You Never Give Me Your Money? Sovereign Debt Crises, Collective Action Problems, and IMF Lending written by Mr.Marco Committeri and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2013-01-22 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We review the impact of the global financial crisis, and its spillovers into the sovereign sector of the euro area, on the international “rules of the game” for dealing with sovereign debt crises. These rules rest on two main pillars. The most important is the IMF’s lending framework (policies, financing facilities, and financial resources), which is designed to support macroeconomic adjustment packages based on the key notion of public debt sustainability. The complementary pillar is represented by such contractual provisions as Collective Action Clauses (CACs) in sovereign bonds, which aim to facilitate coordination among private creditors in order to contain the costs of a debt default or restructuring. We analyze the most significant changes (and their consequences) prompted by the recent crises to the Fund’s lending framework, not only in terms of additional financial resources, new financing facilities (including precautionary ones), and cooperation with euro-area institutions, but also as regards the criteria governing exceptional access to the Fund’s financial resources. We highlight a crucial innovation to these criteria, namely that, for the first time, they now explicitly take account of the risk of international systemic spillovers. Finally, we discuss how the recent crises have provided new political support for a broader dissemination of CACs in euro-area sovereign bonds. Importantly, in the first case involving an advanced economy, CACs were activated in the debt exchange undertaken by Greece in Spring 2012.

Holdouts in Sovereign Debt Restructuring

Download Holdouts in Sovereign Debt Restructuring PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (731 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Holdouts in Sovereign Debt Restructuring by : Rohan Pitchford

Download or read book Holdouts in Sovereign Debt Restructuring written by Rohan Pitchford and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Why is it difficult to restructure sovereign debt in a timely manner? In this paper we present a theory of the sovereign debt restructuring process in which delay arises as individual creditors hold-up a set- tlement in order to extract greater payments from the sovereign. We then use the theory to analyze recent policy proposals aimed at ensuring equal repayment of creditor claims. Strikingly, we show that such collective action policies may increase delay by encouraging free-riding on negotiation costs, even while preventing hold-up and reducing total negotiation costs. A calibrated version of the model can account for observed delays, and finds that free riding is quantitatively relevant: whereas in sim- ple low-cost debt restructuring operations collective mechanisms will reduce delay by more than 60%, in high-cost complicated restructurings the adoption of such mechanisms results in a doubling of delay

Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Growth

Download Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Growth PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 1475526520
Total Pages : 42 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (755 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Growth by : Lorenzo Forni

Download or read book Sovereign Debt Restructuring and Growth written by Lorenzo Forni and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2016-08-16 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper studies the effect of sovereign debt restructurings with external private creditors on growth during the period 1970-2010. We find that there are bad and good (or not so bad) debt restructurings for growth. While growth generally declines in the aftermath of a sovereign debt restructuring, agreements that allow countries to exit a default spell (final restructurings) are associated with improving growth. The impact can be significant. In general, three years after restructuring, growth is about 5 percent lower compared to countries that did not face restructuring over the same period. The exception is for final restructurings, which result in positive growth in the years immediately after the restructuring. Final restructurings tend to be better for growth because they reduce countries’ debt, with the strongest effect for countries that exit restructurings with relatively low debt levels.

A Model-Law Approach to Sovereign Debt Restructuring

Download A Model-Law Approach to Sovereign Debt Restructuring PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 21 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (13 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Model-Law Approach to Sovereign Debt Restructuring by : Steven L. Schwarcz

Download or read book A Model-Law Approach to Sovereign Debt Restructuring written by Steven L. Schwarcz and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unresolved sovereign debt problems and disruptive litigation are hurting debtor nations and their citizens, as well as their creditors. A default can also pose a serious systemic threat to the international financial system. Yet the existing “contractual” approach to sovereign debt restructuring, including the use of so-called collective action clauses, is insufficient to solve the holdout problem; recent empirical research indeed shows a drastic rise in sovereign debt litigation by holdout creditors. And the political economy of treaty-making makes a multilateral “statutory” approach highly unlikely to succeed in the near future.This article, prepared at the invitation of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) for presentation at its 50th Anniversary Congress, shows why a model-law approach to sovereign debt restructuring should be realistic and effective. Nations and even subnational jurisdictions could individually enact a model law as their internal law, and contracts governed by that law would thereby become governed by the model law. Choice of law thus gives a model-law approach a powerful multiplier effect. A model-law approach could also solve the problem of pari passu clauses and address the critical need for a financially troubled nation to obtain liquidity during its restructuring process.The article proposes a form of Sovereign Debt Restructuring Model Law, which has been vetted in discussions with leading experts worldwide and also embraces the Basic Principles on Sovereign Debt Restructuring Processes adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. At the very least, pursuing the Model Law in parallel to other approaches would help to develop norms for a sovereign debt restructuring legal framework that goes beyond mere contracting.

Resolving the European Debt Crisis

Download Resolving the European Debt Crisis PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Peterson Institute
ISBN 13 : 0881326496
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (813 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Resolving the European Debt Crisis by : William R. Cline

Download or read book Resolving the European Debt Crisis written by William R. Cline and published by Peterson Institute. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What began as a relatively localized crisis in Greece in early 2010 soon escalated to envelop Ireland and Portugal. By the second half of 2011, the contagion had spread to the far larger economies of Italy and Spain. In mid-September the Peterson Institute and Bruegel hosted a conference designed to contribute to the formulation of policies that could help resolve the euro area debt crisis. This volume presents the conference papers; several are updated through end-2011. European experts examine the political context in Greece (Loukas Tsoukalis), Ireland (Alan Ahearne), Portugal (Pedro Lourtie), Spain (Guillermo de la Dehesa), Italy (Riccardo Perissich), Germany (Daniela Schwarzer), and France (Zaki La�di). Lessons from past debt restructurings are then examined by Jeromin Zettelmeyer (economic) and Lee Buchheit (legal). The two editors separately consider the main current policy issues: debt sustainability by country, private sector involvement and contagion, alternative restructuring approaches, how to assemble a large emergency financing capacity, whether the European Central Bank (ECB) should be a lender of last resort, whether joint-liability "eurobonds" would be feasible and desirable, and the implications of a possible break-up of the euro area. The luncheon address by George Soros and a description (by Steven R. Weisman with Silvia B. Merler) of the policy simulation game played on the second day of the conference complete the volume. Involving market participants and experts representing the roles of euro area governments, the ECB, IMF, G-7, and credit rating agencies, the game led to a proposal for leveraging the capacity of the European Financial Stability Facility through arrangements with the ECB.

Mitigating the Problem of Vulture Holdout

Download Mitigating the Problem of Vulture Holdout PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 34 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (13 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Mitigating the Problem of Vulture Holdout by : John A. E. Pottow

Download or read book Mitigating the Problem of Vulture Holdout written by John A. E. Pottow and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Great Recession has brought greater sovereign debt defaults, which in turn have brought a surfeit of academic explorations and policy discussions of sovereign debt restructuring. The purpose of this article is to offer yet one more idea for the hopper of what to do with the seemingly intractable problem of restructuring sovereign bond debt. The field does not lack for statutory and contractual proposals, from SDRM to CACs, but it is not yet sufficiently saturated that another proposal cannot join the mix. The proposal is for the establishment of international certification boards that can give a stamp of approval to workout proposals for bond debt that is (at least in part) privately held. The reason for the boards is to combat the problem of holdouts in an age of vulture funds and other new-age sovereign debt investors. The boards are deliberately non-judicial and will have no hard law power by design. Nonetheless, it is suggested that these boards will have an incremental effect in coalescing agreement around sovereign debt restructuring proposals.

Sovereign Debt Crises

Download Sovereign Debt Crises PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1316510441
Total Pages : 309 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (165 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sovereign Debt Crises by : Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky

Download or read book Sovereign Debt Crises written by Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-11-02 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contributes to a better understanding of the policy, economic, and legal options of countries struggling with debt problems.

Restructuring Sovereign Debt

Download Restructuring Sovereign Debt PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 0815796110
Total Pages : 357 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (157 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Restructuring Sovereign Debt by : Lex Rieffel

Download or read book Restructuring Sovereign Debt written by Lex Rieffel and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2003-09-05 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Western powers established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank after World War II as "permanent machinery" to anchor the Bretton Woods system. When developing countries began experiencing debt problems in the late 1960s, the Paris Club took shape as "ad hoc machinery" to restructure debt from export credit agencies. A decade later the London Club process emerged to handle workouts of commercial bank debt. Restructuring debt in the form of bonds became an issue in the late 1990s in Argentina and several other nations, and the IMF recently proposed a permanent mechanism to deal with that challenge. Restructuring Sovereign Debt explains why ad hoc machinery would function more effectively in the Bretton Woods system. By describing in detail the origins and operations of the London Club and Paris Club, Lex Rieffel highlights the pragmatism and flexibility associated with ad hoc approaches. He also recalls earlier proposals for creating permanent debt restructuring machinery and the reasons why they were not adopted. Recognizing that the issue of sovereign debt workout is complex, Rieffel has provided a comprehensive and detailed exposition of this important policy issue. Rieffel's book is an important tool for policymakers and the public, particularly as the global community seeks to resolve the debt problems of countries as diverse as Argentina, Iraq, and Côte d'Ivoire.