ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to document at a very granular level what economic surveillance looks like, how it is practiced, and how it has changed over time. Because surveillance is understudied in both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), developing a better understanding of what it actually looks like is an essential first step in appraising how well it works, and in what ways it can be reformed. There have been different answers to the question of whether surveillance makes a difference. The IMF has used survey data to answer this question in its Triennial Surveillance Reviews, and for the WTO, the question has been asked without evidence to answer it. Countries favoring softer surveillance secured some control over the process, as each country would submit its own report and provide background information to the Secretariat.
