Christine Lagarde named IMF head

Press quote (The Guardian)
Simon Tilford
28 June 2011

Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform, said: "There's no doubt she is a talented politician, but I don't think this was the right choice for Europe or the IMF." He believed that the IMF's policy in Greece, supported by Lagarde, had failed, and appointing another European to the IMF sent the wrong signal to the rest of the world. "You can't demand that these countries show greater responsibilities while continuing to exclude them from the top jobs."