Brettonomics with Nancy Jacklin

In this final episode of the Brettonomics podcast, Nancy Jacklin and her guest, the finance minister of Indonesia, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, have an insightful discussion about how emerging economies view trade and how this affects the Bretton Wood institutions.

Sri Mulyani Indrawati has been the finance minister of Indonesia since 2016. From 2010 to 2016 she was the managing director and chief operating officer of the World Bank.

In this episode, Nancy discusses the history of the WTO and its precursor, the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), with her guest Alan Wolff. This episode also delves into how the WTO has evolved since its creation and the role that emerging economies play within the institution. 

From 2017 to 2021, Alan Wolff was the deputy director general of the WTO. He is also a former negotiator of international trade policy and agreements for the US government. From 1977 to 1979, he was the United States Deputy Special Representative for Trade Negotiations. 

Nancy Jacklin and her guest for this episode, Douglas Irwin, discuss key concepts related to international trade, such as free trade agreements, subsidies, and the challenges associated with international trade.

Douglas Irwin is a professor of economics at Dartmouth College and an expert on the economics of international trade. He previously worked for the Council of Economic Advisors and the Federal Reserve Board. The fifth edition of his book Free Trade Under Fire was published in 2020.

In the concluding episode of Brettonomics Season Two, Nancy Jacklin tackles one of today's most intricate challenges in global finance—the shift towards digital finance and the subsequent policy implications. Accompanied by Sir Jon Cunliffe, the former Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England, they explore the opportunities and obstacles in navigating this digital transformation and the roles played by the institutions highlighted in Seasons 1 and 2 in designing an international policy response.

[DISCLAIMER: Due to technical issues, the audio file for this episode has been partially corrupted. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and understand the frustration it can bring to your listening experience.]

Episode seven shines a spotlight on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an international institution created to foster economic cooperation. Nancy welcomes Pier Carlo Padoan, who is currently the Chairman of Unicredit, and who has served previously both as the Deputy Secretary-General and the Chief Economist of the OECD, as well as the Minister of Economy and Finance of Italy, to share his extensive institutional knowledge and insights.

For the sixth episode of the season, Nancy Jacklin engages in a conversation with Takatoshi Kato, an experienced policy official in international financial policy with a notable tenure as the former vice minister for international affairs at Japan's Ministry of Finance and as the Deputy Managing Director of the IMF. Together, they extend the exploration of Regional Development Banks (RDBs) initiated in the prior episode to the Asian region,  enriching the discussion with Takatoshi's invaluable insights and experiences.

In the fifth episode, Nancy Jacklin delves into the realm of multilateral banks that have a regional orientation, known as Regional Development Banks (RDBs). Although there are over 30 RDBs worldwide, this podcast will spotlight just three of these banks: the InterAmerican Development Bank, the African Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The guest for this session will be Nancy Lee, currently Director for Sustainable Development at the Center for Global Development and a former senior policy official in the US Government and in the IADB,  experienced in development issues. The discussion will highlight how these RDBs often mirror the operational model and objectives of the World Bank but also how each has its unique character.

In the third part of this episode, Nancy Jacklin and Joaquim Levy explore the World Bank’s role as a knowledge bank and the importance of that role in economic development. They also examine the World Bank’s relations with its sister institution, the IMF, and the bank’s increasing role in helping its members deal with the economic development challenges and opportunities pertaining to climate change.

Episode 3 continues the exploration of the other institutions of the World Bank Group: the International Development Association, the International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Authority, and the International Center for the Resolution of Investment Disputes. Nancy Jacklin and Joaquim Levy also take a look at the use of specialized trust funds administered by the World Bank.

In this three-part series on the World Bank, Nancy Jacklin and Joaquim Levy embark on an in-depth exploration of the bank's mission and objectives. Joaquim Levy, currently serving as the Director of Economic Strategy and Market Relations at Banca Safra, and formerly the Chief Financial Officer of the World Bank, the Finance Minister of Brazil, and the President of the Brazilian Development Bank, contributes his vast experience to the discussion.