Special Drawing Rights (SDR) are a special drawing privilege granted to certain countries to reflect their unique economic circumstances. This privilege allows these countries to draw additional allocations of International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota shares beyond their normal quota entitlement.

Here’s a breakdown of key points regarding SDRs:

Participating countries:

• As of October 2023, there are 10 countries that have been granted SDRs.
• These countries are mostly ex-colonial territories that have historically faced economic disadvantages due to their dependence on former colonizers.
• Some notable examples include Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, and South Korea.

Additional allocations:

• SDRs provide additional allocations of quota shares in proportion to the country’s SDR entitlement.
• These additional allocations are in addition to the country’s normal quota entitlement based on its GDP and other factors.
• The purpose of this allocation is to provide greater access to IMF resources for these countries.

Eligibility:

• To be eligible for SDRs, a country must meet certain criteria, including:
  • Having a “colonial or neo-colonial dependence on one or more of the principal members of the IMF.”
  • Having an “unbalanced payment position” with the IMF.
  • Having a “heavy debt burden.

Impact:

• SDRs have significantly increased the voting power of some countries, giving them greater influence in the IMF.
• This has been controversial, as some argue that it undermines the IMF’s ability to represent all member states fairly.
• Additionally, SDRs have influenced the distribution of IMF resources, with some countries receiving more financial assistance than others.

Recent developments:

• In September 2023, Argentina requested the cancellation of its SDRs, citing concerns about their potential to undermine the IMF’s weighting system.
• This move has sparked debate about the future of SDRs and their potential impact on the IMF.

Overall:

Special Drawing Rights are a controversial mechanism within the IMF that aims to address the unique economic challenges faced by certain countries. While they have increased the voting power and access to resources for these countries, they have also raised concerns about fairness and potential manipulation within the IMF.