The world is changing so quickly it’s hard to think of one aspect of our economic lives that hasn’t shifted from what it was only a few years ago. Trade is no exception. New technologies, the re-emergence of industrial policy, and rising geopolitical tensions are all putting added pressure on the international trading system. Michele Ruta is a trade expert at the IMF. He says global cooperation is key to preventing economic fragmentation, from which no one benefits.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/4fuz7zo
Check out the global trade webpage at IMF.org/en/Topics/Trade
Industrial policy had its heyday in the 1950s and 60s when governments moved to boost national competitiveness amid burgeoning global trade. Economists have been predicting the return of industrial policy of late- and there’s no question it’s back, but what does today’s industrial policy look like? Michele Ruta is a trade expert at the IMF, and along with some colleagues compiled a new dataset that shows the extent to which new industrial policies are being used and what their real impact might be on the global economy.
Transcript: https://bit.ly/49LjmQW
Check out the IMF’s global trade webpage: IMF.org/en/Topics/Trade
The human instinct to trade goes back thousands of years, and Sir Barry Cunliffe has been digging up evidence of those first steps toward today’s globalized world throughout his long career as one of Europe’s most highly respected archaeologists. Sir Cunliffe is an Emeritus professor at Oxford University and a Commissioner of English Heritage. He was invited to speak to economists as part of the IMF Futurist Series, designed to bring outside views to the Fund and spark new ideas. In this podcast, Sir Barry Cunliffe says cultural and economic values should be one and the same.
His latest book By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean is published by Oxford University Press.
Sir Barry Cunliffe served as President of the Society of Antiquaries, Governor of the Museum of London, and a trustee of the British Museum. He received a knighthood in 2006.
(photo: B540/Guillem Lopez/Photoshot/Newscom)
New York Times columnist and best-selling author Thomas Friedman, says our lives are being transformed in so many realms at once- it’s dizzying. In this podcast, Friedman talks about his new book, Thank You for Being Late, An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations.
Contributors:
Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and best-selling author.
Who benefits from free trade and who doesn’t? The realities don’t always match people’s perceptions. In this podcast, economist and free trade expert Douglas Irwin addresses some of the controversies. Irwin participated in a seminar entitled Making Trade an Engine of Growth for All at this year’s IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings.
Contributors:
Douglas Irwin, John Sloan Dickey Third Century Professor in Social Sciences in the Department of Economics at Dartmouth College