As part of the IMF Exchange speaker series, London School of Economics Director, Minouche Shafik and IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva discuss how current economic trends are straining social safety nets and fueling disaffection among people across the globe. In her latest book What We Owe Each Other, Shafik argues the need for a new social contract. The discussion is moderated by CNN Anchor and Correspondent Eleni Giokos. The podcast is an abridged version of the conversation, you'll find a webcast of the entire event at IMF.org.

When was the last time you used cash? In his latest book, Eswar Prasad looks at a world, not that far off, where using cash will no longer be an option. Prasad is a professor of economics at Cornell University, and his book, The Future of Money, describes how digital currencies and other financial technologies are reshaping everything from consumer banking to monetary policy and international payments. In this podcast, he discusses the book with Finance and Development Magazine editor Chris Wellisz.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/3gwQJNu

Read the F&D article at IMF.org/fandd

When the pandemic hit two years ago, millions of people quickly found themselves unable to work because of the nature of their jobs or because of the recession that ensued. But now, as economies are picking up- why are companies having such a hard time hiring workers? In this podcast, journalist Rhoda Metcalfe asks economists Carlo Pizzinelli and Ippei Shibata what's behind the labor shortage in many advanced economies. Shibata and Pizzinelli's latest research looks at current trends in the US and UK and suggests there are many pieces to the labor market puzzle.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/3rnmmzk

Read the blog at blogs.imf.org