“What is the IMF?” Symbolic power and supranational bureaucracy: the relationship with Argentina (2018-2023)

Abstract

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is one of the most debated international organizations, but its definition lacks consensus. This article addresses the question "What is the IMF?" from the sociological perspective of Pierre Bourdieu, analyzing how actors with experience in the relationship between the IMF and a debtor country define it. Based on 26 interviews with Argentine government officials and IMF members involved in Argentina's indebtedness (2018 2023), key elements of its symbolic power, linked to its bureaucratic nature, are identified. Two dimensions stand out: universality, expressed in its claim to neutrality and promotion of universal values, and temporality, reflected in its historical recognition and its influence on the temporal structure of indebted countries. It is concluded that bureaucracy employs specific mechanisms, such as appealing to self-interest and appropriating temporality, to consolidate power.