IMF Podcasts

IMF Podcasts episodes:

• 04.16.2024

  Global Financial Stability: Fragilities Along Disinflation’s Last Mile

  As inflation slowly subsides and optimism pervades financial markets, the latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) warns of potential setbacks. Fabio Natalucci and Jason Wu head the GFSR team. In this podcast, they discuss risks associated with debt and the...

  
• 04.11.2024

  Kristalina Georgieva: The 2020s: Turbulent, Tepid or Transformational?

  IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva kicks off the 2024 IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings from the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, with her customary curtain raiser speech. Go to IMF.org to follow the Spring Meetings and find all the IMF flagship...

  
• 04.11.2024

  Jeffry Frieden: How Politics and Economics Interact

  Even optimal economic policies create winners and losers, and that’s where politics steps in. Trade liberalization is an example of a policy that can make a country better off as a whole, but what happens to workers who lose out...

  
• 04.04.2024

  Suresh Naidu: Why Labor Market Model Falls Short

  For decades, the standard labor market model has been ruled by supply and demand, but a younger generation of labor economists is questioning that approach. Suresh Naidu is a Professor of Economics and International Public Affairs at Columbia University. He...

  
• 03.28.2024

  Women in Economics: Olivia Mitchell on Retirement Reality

  It wasn’t that long ago when retiring in one’s 50s was an achievable goal. But with life expectancy steadily rising and pension systems doomed to fall short, the prospects for an early retirement are fading fast. Olivia Mitchell wrote the...

  
• 03.21.2024

  Kristalina Georgieva: The Economic Possibilities for My Grandchildren

  John Maynard Keynes was one of the most influential economists of the 20th century and the father of modern macroeconomics. His novel lectures at King’s College, Cambridge, inspired economists and policymakers of the time and continues to do so a...

  
• 03.19.2024

  Ulrike Malmendier on Behavioral Economics

  Economists build models based on basic assumptions of human behavior. But people are complicated, right? Do Germans who grew up on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall make the same financial decisions today? Ulrike Malmendier is a behavioral economist whose...

  
• 03.07.2024

  Poverty’s Hidden Dimensions

  Countless resources and billions of dollars have been directed at poverty alleviation over the decades and yet almost 10 percent of the world’s population is still struggling to survive... not only in developing countries but in rich countries too. Why...

  
• 02.22.2024

  Not Your Grandmother’s Industrial Policy: Michele Ruta

  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...

  
• 02.01.2024

  Women in Economics: Juliet Schor on the Benefits of a 4-Day Week

  Productivity has been the driving force behind the five- sometimes six-day workweek, but there is a growing body of evidence that shows a shorter week is equally, if not more productive in many respects. Juliet Schor is a champion of...

  
• 01.23.2024

  Measuring Money in the Digital Age: Jim Tebrake

  Behind any good policy stands good data. And as the global economy becomes increasingly digitalized, effective policy and regulation are critical to ensure a stable and equitable financial system. Jim Tebrake is Deputy Director and heads the data and methodology...

  
• 01.04.2024

  AI that Shares the Wealth: Stephanie Bell

  Artificial intelligence has the power to transform society in so many ways, but only a small number of companies in an even smaller number of countries hold the keys to AI’s development. So what happens when a narrow swath of...

  
• 12.18.2023

  AI’s Leg Up for the Learning Poor: Shankar Maruwada

  Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work and for many it’s scary. But for teachers in India’s million-plus schools, AI is a welcome partner in solving the learning poverty problem. Shankar Maruwada is the Co-founder and CEO of EkStep...

  
• 12.07.2023

  AI’s Real Risk to Wages: Andrew Berg and Maryam Vaziri

  The pace at which artificial intelligence is transforming jobs is astounding, but while it boasts higher productivity AI is also increasing wage inequality. When workers are replaced by machines, real wages decline, and the owners of capital prosper. So who...

  
• 11.30.2023

  Daniel Susskind: AI’s Transformation of Labor

  There’s no question that Artificial Intelligence will increase productivity- but at what cost? What happens when systems out-perform not only factory workers but society’s most esteemed professions? Daniel Susskind has written two thought-provoking books on how AI is changing the...

  
• 11.28.2023

  Climate Goals and Debt: A Fiscal Balancing Act

  Global warming is wreaking havoc on so many levels, but climate action is costly and presents policymakers with difficult tradeoffs. High debt, rising interest rates, and weaker growth prospects make public finances harder to balance and climate goals harder to...

  
• 11.20.2023

  Ian Parry: Carbon Pricing and the Power of a Good Idea

  Carbon pricing is steadily emerging as one of the most viable solutions to reducing global emissions, but shedding its contentious past to build a global consensus is still a work in progress. Economist Ian Parry has championed the idea of...

  
• 11.16.2023

  Women in Economics: Catherine Kling on Nature’s Real Worth

  Having access to nature can improve lives. Walking through the forest or by a lake occasionally is proven to have both physical and psychological benefits. But nature is a resource that is undervalued in our economies, and all too often...

  
• 11.09.2023

  RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on the New Frontier for Central Banks

  The world of money is changing fast and central banks are at the very center of that change. Shaktikanta Das is the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, which is responsible for regulating currency and securing monetary stability for...

  
• 11.02.2023

  Jamaica’s Nigel Clarke: Stability First then Growth

  Navigating an economy through multiple crises is not for the faint-hearted. Policy responses must be quick- often with little to go on, and decisions have lasting effects. Nigel Clarke has been Jamaica’s Minister of Finance since 2018 and led its...

  
• 10.24.2023

  Building Resilience in Uncertain Times: Per Jacobsson Lecture

  With the years of access to cheap money behind them and the effects of climate change and geopolitical tensions only getting worse, what does resilience look like for emerging market economies? This year’s Per Jacobbson lecture brings together three influential...

  
• 10.19.2023

  Dilip Ratha on the Power of Remittances

  Millions of families around the world- even some countries, rely on workers living abroad to keep their economies afloat. In fact, global remittances reached a record $647 billion in 2022—three times that of official development assistance. Dilip Ratha is lead...

  
• 10.10.2023

  Fabio Natalucci on Financial Stability: Soft Landing or Abrupt Awakening

  Most economies have shown resilience through the steepest series of rate hikes in decades. But inflation remains stubbornly high in some countries, which is proving a challenge for global monetary policy going forward. The latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR)...

  
• 10.06.2023

  Kristalina Georgieva: Building Bridges to Strong Future Growth

  International cooperation is weakening. The bridges that connect countries are corroding as trade and investment barriers are rising, and Africa stands to suffer the biggest economic losses from severe fragmentation. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva kicked off the 2023 Annual...

  
• 09.27.2023

  Women in Economics: Eliana La Ferrara on Social Norms and Development

  A functioning economy provides people with access to credit, insurance, and, among other things, investment opportunities. But what happens in poor communities where they are landless and have no wealth? Eliana La Ferrara says the social structure within those communities...

  
• 09.07.2023

  Andrea Presbitero on Rewards Cards and Wealth Inequality

  Credit cards that offer rewards like travel discounts seem a good idea, but rewards cards can be costly for anyone who keeps a running balance. So should there be rules around who gets one? IMF economist Andrea Presbitero is...

  
• 08.31.2023

  Gouverneur Abdellatif Jouahri sur les réformes qui ont mis le Maroc sur la bonne voie

  Abdellatif Jouahri est le gouverneur de Banque Al-Maghrib depuis 2003 et l'homme derrière les grandes réformes qui ont fait du Maroc l'une des économies les plus importantes de la région du Moyen-Orient et de l'Afrique du Nord (MENA). Dans cet...

  
• 08.16.2023

  Women in Economics: Nina Pavcnik on Trade and Development

  The dramatic opening up of markets to international trade over the past 30 years has been a boon to many developing economies but it has not benefitted everyone. Nina Pavcnik grew up in Yugoslavia and witnessed firsthand the effects of...

  
• 08.03.2023

  Euro Area Inflation and how Import Prices, Profits, and Wages fit in

  While import prices account for much of Europe’s inflation, its outlook largely depends on how companies absorb wage gains as higher prices erode workers’ purchasing power. IMF economist Frederik Toscani studies inflation and monetary policy in the Euro Area and...

  
• 07.20.2023

  Jookyung Ree on the eNaira, One Year After

  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...

  
• 07.06.2023

  Ruud De Mooij on Taxing Crypto

  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...

  
• 06.15.2023

  Noah Kaufman on Green Trade Tensions

  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...

  
• 06.09.2023

  Women in Economics: Claudia Goldin on Family Economics

  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...

  
• 06.01.2023

  Michele Ruta on Discriminatory Regionalism

  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...

  
• 05.26.2023

  Nadia Fettah and Jihad Azour: Morocco Gives Voice to the Global South

  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...

  
• 05.22.2023

  Ruchir Agarwal on Industrial Policy

  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...

  
• 05.09.2023

  Helping African Farmers from the Sky

  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...

  
• 04.28.2023

  Nicolas Kazadi on DRC’s Natural Wealth and the Energy Transition

  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,...

  
• 04.21.2023

  Gillian Tett on Anthropology for the Modern Economist

  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...

  
• 04.11.2023

  Global Financial Stability Tested by Higher Inflation and Interest Rates

  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)...

  
• 04.06.2023

  UN Refugee Chief Filippo Grandi on Where Economics Fits In

  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...

  
• 03.30.2023

  Abebe Aemro Selassie and Ken Opalo on Making Reforms Stick in Africa

  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...

  
• 03.24.2023

  Laura Valderrama: European Housing Markets at a Turning Point

  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...

  
• 03.01.2023

  Johannes Wiegand on Bimetallism and Monetary Stability

  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...

  
• 02.23.2023

  Harold James: In Defense of Globalization

  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...

  
• 02.16.2023

  Alan S. Blinder on Monetary and Fiscal Policy: Rowing with Both Oars

  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...

  
• 02.03.2023

  China: Reopening, Rebound, and Challenges

  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...

  
• 01.26.2023

  Resilience and Sustainability Trust: New Tool for a Changing World

  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,...

  
• 01.19.2023

  Tobias Adrian: Cross-Border Payments for the 21st Century

  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,...

  
• 01.12.2023

  Michael Kremer on Innovation

  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...