Financial innovations in international debt management

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The international debt problem has generated numerous publications, yet this work offers a unique perspective by focusing on the evolution of the financial aspects of the issue. It highlights the continuous expansion of financial instruments and significant shifts in intercreditor relationships. In the 1970s, equal treatment of creditors was not a priority, but this changed in the 1980s when it became a central concern. Recently, however, the emphasis on equal treatment has hindered creditors' management of loan portfolios, leading to a resurgence of inequality in treatment. This shift poses challenges for those attempting to explain legal changes through economic theory. Additionally, the author adopts a broad institutional perspective, contrasting with the typical economic analysis that assumes uniform rationality and optimization among all parties. The author argues that cultural differences between creditor and debtor nations complicate the definition of efficiency based solely on "Western" standards. These cultural discrepancies result in what is termed "institutional obfuscation," where creditors struggle to predict the behavior of debtors with different mindsets, and vice versa. This lack of information introduces transaction risks for all contracting parties involved.