In the not-too-distant past, the IMF paid little attention to corruption in the countries with which it dealt, sometimes continuing Fund-supported programs in countries in which the leaders were generally known to be corrupt. A change in attitude began around the middle of the 1990's, reflecting several factors: the fall of the Berlin Wall, which brought more openness in discussions among countries; major corruption scandals in several countries resulted in governmental changes, putting corruption on the front pages of newspapers and making it more difficult for anybody, including the IMF to ignore; anti-corruption efforts by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development moved the issue into the international political arena; and financial and banking crises became more frequent, often traced to or blamed on acts of corruption. The Fund's greater involvement in fighting corruption is now endorsed by its Board of Executive Directors, which supports the view that corruption can no longer be ignored by the IMF and can no longer be dismissed as a minor nuisance with ambiguous effects on economic performance. Rather, corruption must be considered one of the causes of macroeconomic problems and financial crises and an obstacle to countries' capacity to grow. Notes