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Now displaying: Page 2
Jul 20, 2023

Nigeria’s eNaira was the first Central Bank Digital Currency in Africa and only the second in the world when it launched in October 2021, but a growing number of countries across the globe are now planning to follow suit with their own CBDCs. What can they learn from Nigeria’s experience? Jookyung Ree is an economist in the IMF African Department and assigned to Nigeria when the CBDC was introduced. Ree has since studied its impact on the economy and found that existing mobile money networks are proving a challenge to the eNaira’s adoptability. In this podcast, Ree says the eNaira will need to complement mobile money systems to convince more Nigerians to use it.  

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Qb2FI5

Jul 6, 2023

Since their inception in 2008, the contentious rise of crypto assets has been dramatic. Their market value has been as high as $3 trillion and about $50 million is transacted in crypto every day. But what does this brave new world of cryptographically-protected distributed ledgers mean for traditional tax systems? Ruud De Mooij is Deputy Director of the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department and heads its work on taxation. In this podcast, De Mooij says finding ways to tax crypto will mean significant revenue gains for governments and lead to a fairer global tax system. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3O1Hwyt

Read the blog and IMF.org/blogs

Jun 15, 2023

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States unleashed its largest investment in climate and energy ever. But it also left many countries questioning some of its protectionist provisions, accusing the US of bending, if not breaking international trade rules under the WTO. So how do we move forward on climate without going backward on trade? Noah Kaufman says international trade rules need to be redesigned if protectionism is not to become an unintended consequence of green industrial policy. Kaufman is a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy and served in the Biden Administration’s Council of Economic Advisors. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3CwHIiw

Jun 9, 2023

The history of economics has largely been written by men about men. Even when the economics of family became a burgeoning field of study in the 1970s, the woman’s role was hardly talked about. Claudia Goldin is a pioneer in the field of gender economics and her latest book Career and Family places women squarely at the center of the family economics story. Goldin is the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University and an economic historian. Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe sat down with Claudia Goldin to discuss her work and how she came to write the definitive book on gender economics Understanding the Gender Gap. The interview is part of the IMF series on extraordinary Women in Economics.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3oYUEdO

Jun 1, 2023

As rising geopolitical tensions chip away at globalization, will a more fragmented world mean stronger regional pacts? Economist Michele Ruta says regionalism in a time of conflict is unlikely to triumph, but rather is likely to change. The trend toward strengthening ties with friends and loosening them with non-friends is making regional trade less about integration and more about discrimination.    Transcript: https://bit.ly/3MHNbIc

May 26, 2023

Like so many countries across the Middle East and North Africa, Morocco faced successive shocks over the past three years including a devastating drought. But the country managed well thanks to an aggressive reform agenda. In this podcast, Morocco’s Finance Minister Nadia Fettah, and IMF Regional Director Jihad Azour, discuss how Morocco is keeping reforms on track despite the challenging circumstances, and what lessons other countries in the region might learn from Morocco’s experience. Their conversation was part of the Governor Talks series hosted by the IMF during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings, and a preamble to the Annual Meetings to be held in Marrakesh this fall.

Watch the webcast at IMF.org

May 22, 2023

Industrial policy refers to a set of policies that governments use to bolster national industries or companies deemed strategically important for economic competitiveness, social outcomes, or national security. The approach has been used in many countries to create global giants like Huawei, General Electric, Volkswagen, and Airbus to name a few. Economist Ruchir Agarwal is currently studying industrial policy, among other things, at the Yale School of Management and Harvard Kennedy School. In this podcast, Agarwal says while the practice of choosing national champions fell out of favor in the 1980s, rising geopolitical tensions of late have sparked a renewed interest in industrial policy, which can be a guise for protectionism.  

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3oxgswS

May 9, 2023

Agricultural productivity in Africa has lagged behind for decades, and now climate change is making things worse. But for Hamza Rkha Chaham, the prospect of helping African farmers increase crop yields prompted him to launch a startup that is transforming lives. Chaham was only 27 years old in 2018 when he co-founded SOWIT, a company that uses processed satellite imagery to provide farmers with invaluable data to optimize decisions related to irrigation and fertilization. In this podcast, he says startups in Africa can be challenging on many levels, but the rewards far outweigh the risks. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3NZcRSG

Apr 28, 2023

The Democratic Republic of the Congo faces many challenges to its development, but the country’s natural wealth has the potential to lift more people out of poverty and help the world make the transition to renewable energy.  In this podcast, IMF African Department head Abebe Aemro Selassie sits down with DRC’s Minister of Finance, Nicolas Kazadi to discuss the country’s pivotal role in the fight for climate preservation and sustainable development. Their conversation took place as part of the Governor Talks series hosted by the IMF during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.

Apr 21, 2023

Economists often share a common understanding of the world based on their training and what they’ve learned from other like-minded professionals. In this podcast, author and Financial Times journalist, Gillian Tett says anthropology offers insights into public policy challenges and helps economists better understand socioeconomic problems.  IMF Deputy Secretary, Sabina Bhatia, sits down with Gillian Tett to discuss her recent book Anthro-Vision, a New Way to See in Business and in Life. The conversation took place before a live audience during the IMF and World Bank Group Spring Meetings.

Watch the webcast at IMF.org.

Apr 11, 2023

Financial stability never comes easy, but the past few months have been especially challenging with persistently high inflation and two bank failures in the United States that exposed vulnerabilities lurking beneath the surface. The latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) examines all the worrying trends including the potential economic impact of rising geopolitical tensions. Fabio Natalucci heads the GFSR. In this podcast, he says while regulatory changes put in place after the Global Financial Crisis have made the financial system more resilient, recent events may be a harbinger of more systemic stress to come.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/41zCPQv

Read the full report at IMF.org/GFSR

Apr 6, 2023

Financial stability is not only about managing inflation, employment rates and spending, it’s about understanding how those factors affect people in different places and in all kinds of circumstances. In this podcast, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, discusses how strategic partnerships between humanitarians and economists will help support the millions of forcefully displaced people in the world and provide a firmer footing for an economic recovery. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Mnnq13

Mar 30, 2023

As global economic uncertainty surges, Sub-Saharan Africa faces a host of challenges that will require effective policy responses if it is to regain the ground it lost during the pandemic. But what does it take to design and implement successful policy reforms? In this podcast, IMF African Department head Abebe Aemro Selassie and Georgetown University’s Ken Opalo discuss why some reforms work and others do not. This conversation is part of a series of talks hosted by the IMF African Department called Africa Perspectives.

Watch the webcast: www.imf.org/en/News/Seminars/Conferences/2022/06/10/africa-speaker-series#

Mar 24, 2023

The last few months have witnessed tensions in Europe's housing markets as the cost-of-living crisis has eroded real incomes and the surge in interest rates has made borrowers more vulnerable to financial distress. Laura Valderrama is a macro-financial expert and coauthor of new research that suggests house prices across Europe are overvalued, and housing markets are at risk of a price correction that could undermine the region's economic recovery.  

Transcript: https://bit.ly/42Dm33U

Read the research paper at: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP  

Mar 1, 2023

While the currency values of today’s economic powerhouses help maintain global financial stability, the currency systems in the 19th century were tied to precious metals and France played the stabilizing role. In the early 1800s, most countries tied their currencies to silver or gold, but Napoleon tied the French franc to both, which sparked the era of global bimetallism. IMF economist Johannes Wiegand has studied bimetallism, and in this podcast, he says this almost-forgotten 19th-century episode shows that international cooperation is essential for a stable global monetary system. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/41CunjU

Read the article at IMF.org/fandd

Feb 23, 2023

The longtime critics of globalization are having another moment, claiming supply chain shortages, high inflation, and increasing migration are products of an overly globalized world. But history suggests more globalization- not less, can help counter those disruptions in the global economy. Harold James is a professor of history and international relations at Princeton University and an IMF historian. In this podcast, James says globalization offers an antidote to inflationary pressures. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3m5mB1J

Look for In Defense of Globalization in the March issue of Finance and Development: IMF.org/fandd

Feb 16, 2023

Alan S. Blinder, former Fed vice chair and one of the world’s most influential economists has had a front-row seat to the changes in central banking over the past several decades. Blinder is also a former member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, and in his latest book, A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961-2021, he recounts the conflicts and collaborations in fiscal and monetary policy that have shaped the United States economy. Blinder was invited to the IMF Research Department to discuss his book.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3xtYUTq

Feb 3, 2023

China’s severe covid lockdowns since the start of the pandemic undoubtedly contributed to an economic downturn last year not seen in decades. And while China has lifted the containment measures and is reopening, the factors behind that slowdown, like its ailing property sector, low productivity growth, and the lingering COVID threat, could weigh on its economic performance this year if left unaddressed. In this podcast, IMF economists Sonali Jain-Chandra and Thomas Helbling walk us through China’s latest economic review, a deep analysis of China’s economy that includes outlooks, risk assessments, and policy recommendations.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3HpduA8

Read the full report at IMF.org

Jan 26, 2023

The IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) helps low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries build resilience to external shocks and ensure sustainable growth, contributing to their longer-term balance of payments stability. It complements the IMF’s existing lending toolkit by providing longer-term, affordable financing to address longer-term challenges, including climate change and pandemic preparedness. In this podcast, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva discusses the RST with Prime Minister Mia Motley of Barbados, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation. The discussion is moderated by Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation.

Watch the webcast at IMF.org

Jan 19, 2023

Most countries have infrastructure and governance structures that allow the private sector to take advantage of new technologies to innovate and improve payment and financial services. But at the international level, it’s a different story. Cross-border payments are as slow, expensive, and risky as ever. IMF Financial Counsellor, Tobias Adrian, and coauthors published some new research on creating a Multi-Currency Exchange and Contracting Platform that would effectively transform the cross-border payment system. In this podcast, Adrian says payments are the foundation for the entire monetary and financial system, and new technologies can help get global payments right.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3D1RKJ7

Read the research at IMF.org

Jan 12, 2023

Innovation is often associated with developments in information and communication technologies, but for economists, innovation is also about developing new business models and new ways for governments to deliver public services like health and education. Michael Kremer is a professor of economics at the University of Chicago and the founder of the Development Innovation Lab. His work on poverty reduction with colleagues Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee won them the Nobel Prize in economics in 2019. In the early 2000s, Kremer helped develop the design of Advance Market Commitment models used to incentivize the private sector to work on issues of relevance for the developing world. Michael Kremer was invited to deliver the IMF Richard Goode Lecture, an annual event to discuss policy issues and debates. In his talk, Kremer says commercial incentives for innovation are not always aligned with social needs, which results in underinvestment in some types of innovation and creates a role for public investment.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3ka1daT

Jan 5, 2023

We often think about the economy as being driven by how productive we are on the job, but the pandemic made it clear that our personal lives and our work lives are in fact deeply linked. Betsey Stevenson is a labor economist who studies how families are shaped by their economic situations and the decisions that policymakers make. Stevenson is a professor at the University of Michigan and a former economic advisor to the Obama administration. Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe spoke with Betsey Stevenson about her research into the powerful connections between our work and home life for the IMF series on extraordinary Women in Economics.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3X7ihML 

Dec 8, 2022

More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and it’s expected that almost 70 percent will live in urban areas by 2050. People are attracted to cities for the economic and social opportunities they offer. But if the COVID pandemic taught us anything, it’s that population density presents significant health risks. David Cutler is a Professor of Economics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and the Chan School of Public Health. Cutler and his Harvard colleague Edward Glaeser write about Cities After the Pandemic in the December issue of Finance and Development. In this podcast, David Cutler discusses the article with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe. He says cities now need to put more emphasis on public health to keep economies healthy.  

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3UHR6X6

Read at IMF.org/FandD

Dec 1, 2022

After decades of being shrouded in suspicion and controversy, nuclear energy is emerging as a viable clean alternative to oil and gas. The war in Ukraine has turned post-pandemic energy shortages into a full-blown energy crisis and nuclear power plants across Europe that were destined to close will continue to operate. Ted Nordhaus is the Executive Director of the Breakthrough Institute, which looks for technological solutions to environmental problems. Nordhaus and coauthor Juzel Lloyd published an article titled The Nuclear Resurgence, in the December edition of Finance and Development. In this podcast. Nordhaus discusses the benefits of nuclear energy with Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Uq4yim

Read The Nuclear Resurgence at IMF.org/FandD

 

Nov 30, 2022

Events of the last three years have made life difficult on many levels for millions of people around the world. And while expecting more support from social and financial institutions during hard times is nothing new, the recent rise in prices has left people angry and questioning the efficacy of the social contract between the government and its citizenry. Justin Wolfers is a Professor of Economics and Social Policy at the University of Michigan. In this podcast, he says there has never been a better time to reinvent- for the first time in decades perhaps centuries, the institutions that foster social cohesion.

Transcript: http://bit.ly/3XKUNy7

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