Book excerpt: Economics of the International Financial System offers an illuminating, engaging and lucid account of the working of 21st-century global political economy. From a macroeconomic perspective, it explores how major capitalist economies are closely integrated with each other in that none can remain unaffected by economic events around the globe. The book is one of the first in its genre to examine: the origin and relevance of international money as a concept and phenomenon; the structure of various money markets; the nature and functioning of major international financial institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD); and the dynamics of the new world financial system that emerged after the demise of Bretton Woods system. This will form an essential reading for students and scholars of international monetary economics, international corporate finance, researchers, policymakers, bankers and financial executives.