Ben Clift’s latest article on IMF fiscal thinking, published in a special issue of Policy and Society, explores contradictions in how Fund doctrine navigates turbulent times and survives disruptive challenges. Focusing how economic ideas are put into practice, it finds that Fund fiscal priorities are hard-wired into operational frameworks. Ironically, ‘fiscal space’ looks like it exemplifies the adaptability that ‘ideational robustness’ scholars underline, yet ongoing excessive rigidity, enforcing ‘baked in’ hawkish discipline, jeopardises the sustainability of the IMF's approach.