Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 leading nations will attempt this weekend to put flesh on the bare bones of the group’s plan for stronger and more balanced growth as the world emerges from recession.

Meeting for the third time this year, the finance ministers’ gathering in St Andrews, Scotland, will seek to counter the lingering scepticism that the new “framework for strong, sustainable and balanced growth” is another example of toothless international posturing that will have little practical impact.