The 26-odd countries in the Caribbean may be small, but they are facing many of the same challenges confronting larger nations. These include the need to create more jobs and ensure that any growth is spread across a wide cross section of society. The countries of the Caribbean and various international organizations are meeting in the Bahamas to discuss how to capture that elusive growth.

Kenya is one of the success stories of Africa’s economic resurgence. Just a few short years after the global financial crisis caused a sharp economic downturn, the country has rebounded, and earned a reputation as one of the continent’s frontier economies. With this strong performance in mind, the Kenya and the IMF will co-host a conference to discuss the country's prospects.

Myanmar has made impressive strides in opening and liberalizing the economy, boosting growth and the economic outlook, but the formerly isolated country still faces some challenges.

Economic growth in the developing world has been accompanied by massive increases in higher education enrollment. This can feed a country’s development—but it also puts new pressures on a country’s leaders and workers.

As the economies of the developing world expand, new jobs beckon. But Richard Freeman says these countries have seen a surprising persistence of informal sector jobs—which offer low pay and scant worker protection.

Si vous faites partie de ces milliers de gens qui envoient de l'argent à leurs parents et amis à l'étranger, attention! Peut-être faites-vous autant de mal que de bien, selon un économiste du FMI. Ces envois de fonds peuvent certes secourir des familles dans le besoin, mais ils peuvent aussi saper la croissance économique.

If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of people who send money abroad to friends and relatives, beware! You may be doing as much harm as good, suggests one IMF economist. Although these remittances can be a lifeline for families, they can also undermine economic growth.

Developed countries need to be industrious like ants, says economist, Peter Blair Henry. For years they have offered advice to developing countries on the best path to growth. They might benefit from heeding some of their own advice, he suggests.

La croissance de l'économie mondiale est inférieure aux prévisions, note le FMI dans son dernier rapport sur les Perspectives de l'économie mondiale. Le FMI a révisé à la baisse la croissance pour cette année à 3,1 %, et préviens que les risques augmentent en particulier dans les pays émergents.

The global economy is growing more slowly than expected, says the IMF in its latest assessment. It's revise growth downwards to 3.1 percent this year, and warns risks are rising in emerging markets.

Unemployment is a worry around the world, but it's a particularly pressing issue for developing countries with their growing, young population. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can be an important source of new jobs, IF governments provide the them with the right encouragement.

De nombreux pays créent des cartels à fin de contrôler le prix d'importants produits de base, dans le but de tirer le maximum de recettes, ou de protéger d'importants secteurs d'activité locaux. Cependant, nombreux sont ceux qui reprochent aux cartels de pénaliser les consommateurs. Nous examinons le pour et le contre des cartels, en partant de l'exemple de la production du sirop d'érable.

Many countries create cartels to control the price of important commodities because they want to maximize their income or protect key domestic industries. But the use of cartels is criticized for causing higher prices for consumers. We investigate the pros and cons of cartels through the example of the maple syrup industry.

When it comes to borrowing money on the international financial markets, several countries of sub-Saharan Africa can now access money at cheaper rates than some European nations. The change is historic and could open up exciting opportunities for the continent.

Despite outnumbering men as college graduates within OECD countries, women are still underrepresented at the very top managerial levels, particularly in finance and business. In this podcast a group of women veterans of Wall Street describe how they got to Wall Street, what they found there, and offer advice to young women who want to get there. Read the associated article from Finance & Development magazine: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2013/06/fang.htm

Many of the economies of sub-Saharan Africa are performing better than much of Europe. In fact, the region has just completed one of the best decades of growth since the 1960s. This is because it has learnt lessons from the past, say Uganda's finance minister, Maria Kiwanuka who is optimistic about the outlook for the continent.

More women in sub-Saharan Africa participate in the labor force than in any other region. But, most still face an uphill struggle to make ends meet. For them, the problem isn't finding work—it's the kind of work they do.

La réussite économique d'un pays dépend beaucoup du niveau d'éducation de sa population. Mais Rabah Arezki avance qu'une administration publique hautement éduquée est aussi cruciale pour la croissance.

A country's economic success depends a lot on how educated its population is. But as Rabah Arezki argues in an article in June's issue of Finance & Development, a highly educated civil service, in particular, can help promote growth for all.

Some economists say that a country’s exports can determine its economic fate. But William Maloney rejects the idea that exports play such a critical role. He says it’s not what you export, but how you do it.

With a gradually improving outlook for the global economy, growth in sub-Saharan Africa is set to strengthen to 5.5%, according to the IMF's latest forecast for the region. But growth patterns vary within the region.

Grâce à l'amélioration progressive des perspectives économiques mondiales, le taux de croissance devrait atteindre 5,5 % en Afrique subsaharienne, selon les dernières prévisions du FMI. Mais ce chiffre masque des disparités au sein de la région.

In recent years, commodity prices have been riding high, and many commodity dependent countries have benefited from these high prices. But this boon is unlikely to last forever: prices may fall, and nations can run out of key commodities.

When a country shifts from being largely based on agrarian economy, to being based on services, or industry, it is said to have undergone structural change. This was the basis of economic development in many Asian countries. Harvard's Dani Rodrik explains why structural change is so critical to development.

Although global growth is expected to reach 3.3% this year, and 4% in 2014, the health of the world's economy is mixed. Olivier Blanchard, Chief Economist at the IMF explains that although the worst is behind us, policymakers still can't afford to relax.