IMF Podcasts

Selon Céline Allard, du FMI, l'Afrique subsaharienne devrait, cette année encore, enregistrer de solides résultats économiques malgré la baisse des cours des produits de base, les projections laissant entrevoir un taux ce croissance de 4,5 % pour 2015.

IMF's Céline Allard says sub-Saharan Africa is set for another year of solid performance despite declining commodities, with a projected growth rate of 4.5 percent for 2015.

More Than 1 billion people live in countries affected by fragility. Fragile states are often confronted with political instability or conflict, inadequate public services, and lack of economic opportunities. Jakkie Cilliers, Executive Director of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, South Africa Claver Gatete, Minister of Finance of Rwanda Kaifala Marah, Minister of Finance and Economic Development in Sierra Leone

The International Monetary Fund expects the world's economy to expand by 3.5 percent this year, but the economic picture differs across the world. The impact of the global financial crisis are still being felt.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said policymakers around the world need to work together to strengthen global economic growth.

A former chairman of the UK's Financial Services Industry, Adair Turner, says there's room for non-bank lending institutions, but thoughtful regulations need be put in place. By Lord Adair Turner: Senior Fellow at the Institute for New Economic Thinking.

Le FMI et la Banque des États de l'Afrique centrale (BEAC) organisent conjointement une conférence sur la croissance inclusive à Brazzaville, République du Congo, le 23 mars. le lien de la conférence: http://www.imf.org/external/french/np/seminars/2015/brazzaville/index.htm

The IMF and the Central bank of Central African states are co-hosting a conference on Inclusive Growth, in Congo Brazzaville on March 23rd. Link to the conference: http://www.imf.org/external/np/seminars/eng/2015/brazzaville/index.htm

More Rwandans are leaving their work on the farm to start small household businesses. By Alun H. Thomas: Senior economist in the IMF's African Department

The International Labour Organization says while the demand for highly skilled jobs is on the rise, middle-class jobs are in sharp decline.

The Quest for Regional Integration in the East African Community lays out all aspects of the ongoing financial integration process for Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

Melanne Verveer, served as Ambassador-at-Large for global women's issues under President Obama. She says more women in small and medium sized enterprises is a catalyst for growth.

The World Bank has labeled global pandemic one of the greatest risks facing the world today, but according to one economist, preventing such a disaster is only a matter of political will.

The IMF will provide grants totaling $100 million to the three countries worst hit by the Ebola epidemic. Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone will use the funds to cover the cost of servicing their debt.

New report on low income countries helps strengthen IMF's monitoring framework.

A conversation with IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard, where he talks about the latest downward revisions to the World Economic Outlook. Even with a boost from falling oil prices, the WEO update shows global growth for 2015-16 at 3.5 and 3.7 percent.

Entretien avec OLIVIER BLANCHARD, économiste en chef du FMI, où il parle des dernières révisions à la baisse de la Perspective Économique Mondiale. La mise à jour montre la croissance mondiale pour 2015-16 à 3,5 et 3,7 pour cent.

The burning of fossil fuels comes with many costs. Millions of people die each year from the pollution it emits. This follow up to an earlier interview with an IMF economist explores the health risks posed by air pollution and some proposed solutions.

Strong economic growth helps keep people employed and healthy, but there's a growing sense in many countries that only the wealthiest are reaping the benefits. Nobel laureate Michael Spence says inclusive growth is key to economic stability.

More than half of all countries in the world have laws that restrict women from joining the workforce. The IMF says the global economy would benefit by Boosting Women's Participation in the Labor Force, and hosted a seminar on the topic last fall during the Fund's annual meetings. Sarah Iqbal participated in that forum and talks in this podcast about the hurdles women face when starting a business. Read as well the IMF Survey story on Unleashing the Economic Power of Women [http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2014/car091514b.htm]

Antibiotics have transformed modern medicine, but their overuse has resulted in more drug–resistant strains of bacteria. As resistance increases, people in poorer countries often can't afford expensive second-line drugs. Ramanan Laxminarayan, Princeton University and director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy.

Economist Justin Wolfers explains why the continued challenge of tackling income inequality should be a global priority for countries around the world and across the economic spectrum.

South Africa can celebrate significant progress in its first 20 years of democracy, but faces the challenge of reviving a weak economy. Addressing structural constraints such as electricity shortages are key to increasing growth.

Despite his reputation as the father of greedy capitalism, Adam Smith did a great deal of thinking about the human condition and how to be a better, more generous person. One economist believes that Smith could change your life. Listen to Russ Roberts on economics as entertainment:

Economic ideas can be a hard pill to swallow for non-academics, and yet virtually everyone can benefit from understanding them. Economist Russ Roberts discusses how he uses stories, rap music and the internet to help the medicine go down.

Data has gained prominence as a vital building block for making sound policy. IMF Director of Statistics, Louis Marc Ducharme talks about how the IMF is helping make data more widely available to policy makers.

When the richest 85 people hold the combined wealth of 3.5 Billion poor people, economist Jose Antonio Ocampo explains that Income inequality can shift from a human rights issue to a marker of potentially dangerous economic instability.

Labor market flexibility is considered by many to be essential to an efficient market economy. But a top-level official of the ILO says there's been an excessive focus on worker flexibility. Off the back of an IMF/World Bank seminar, she explained how economic growth can be nurtured to benefit all.

As Uganda's economy continues to grow, so does the need for more efficient ways of managing large development projects. The country's finance minister says the objectives of each program must be clear, for capacity building to be effective.

Private investment is down in India, partly due to the lack of coal and electricity. India's new chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian says removing those bottlenecks is key to increasing growth.

Caribbean economies have been slow to recover from the global financial crisis. This week, the IMF and the government of Jamaica will host a high level forum that will discuss ways of boosting the economies of the region.

The work of master economist John Maynard Keynes has been key in the resolution of successive crises from the Great Depression to the recent global financial crisis. An IMF economist gives an overview of the man, his ideas and their impact on economic policy.

The IMF's latest Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa says growth in the region is currently at 5% and will continue to rise to 5¾ in 2015. The good news is overshadowed however in countries worst affected by the Ebola pandemic.

The world needs more growth, and more jobs to escape the prospect of prolonged, mediocre economic future, says the head of the International Monetary Fund who laid out the prospects for the global economy, and the priorities for the international organization at the start of the IMF-World Bank Meetings.

In the current environment of slow economic growth, where conditions are right, there's a strong case for increasing public investment, says the IMF in its latest World Economic Outlook

The global economy is suffering weak and uneven growth, with countries experiencing different rates of recovery from the global financial crisis of 2008. While the economies of some advanced countries continue to expand, the emerging markets are facing lower domestic demand and geopolitical tensions.

Le Fonds monétaire international accorde $130 millions d'aide financière aux trois pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest les plus touchés par la crise de l'Ébola. Le Libéria, la Guinée et la Sierra Leone se heurtent à un ralentissement de la croissance et la flambée du virus bouleverse l'agriculture, le secteur minier et les services. La Directrice générale du FMI, Christine Lagarde, a déclaré que la communauté internationale doit se mobiliser pour aider les pays frappés de plein fouet par la crise.

The International Monetary Fund is to give $130 million dollars of financial assistance to the three countries in west Africa hardest hit by the ebola crisis. Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone are facing slowing growth and disruptions to agriculture, mining, and services because of the outbreak.

As the Chinese president, Xi Jinping continues his state visit to India, a leading Indian economist assesses the rapid development of these two giant economies, and suggests that the world's most populous countries may be forging a quite exceptional development path.

Small states or countries with fewer than 1.5 million people have been struggling economically in recent years. An IMF economist offers an explanation and possible solutions.

Traditionally, countries developed their economies by moving away from agriculture into manufacturing. This was then followed by growth of the service sector. But many countries in Africa are building their service sector without transitioning through widespread industrialization. Is Africa experiencing a quite different path towards development? For more information: http://www.qeh.ox.ac.uk/research/research-themes/projectDetails?res_id=39

Chinese economic growth has been slowing in recent years. If the world's second largest economy is to achieve sustainable, long-term growth, it needs reforms to shadow banking, local government finances and the real estate sector, say IMF economists.

Fiscal policies should be center stage in getting energy prices to reflect the harmful health and environmental side effects associated with energy use, according to a new report released by the IMF

Equality is not just about everyone getting their fair share, it's also about everyone paying their fair share. A top NGO chief says the growing wealth gap could be reduced by tightening both domestic and international tax rules. Read more on the subject: Fixing International Corporate Taxation---Not Just a Problem for Advanced Economies http://blog-imfdirect.imf.org/2014/06/25/fixing-international-corporate-taxation-not-just-a-problem-for-advanced-economies/ http://www.imf.org/external/np/pp/eng/2014/050914.pdf

The International Monetary Fund has launched the first in a series of free online courses for those interested in furthering their economic education. One of the course's instructors explains the benefits of raising the public's knowledge about economics, and what he himself has learned from the creation of the course.

Shadow banking is a system of uninsured investments from non-bank institutions. It can yield very high returns, but investments come with the risk of total bust. Even though shadow banking has the potential for enormous losses, it will continue to be a part of China's economic landscape, says one Sino expert.

Africa has grown faster than many other parts of the world over the last two decades, but many Africans are still not seeing the benefits. One Africa specialist suggests measures that authorities might adopt to take advantage of the continent's burgeoning potential.

After years of double digit expansion, China's economic growth is slowing. The world's second largest economy expanded off the back of manufacturing, investment and exports. But, China is now looking inwards for its future growth.

Economists are often criticized for viewing the world through the lens of costs and benefits, while ignoring the morality of an economic decision. But, while economics can't answer moral questions, it can inform the debate, says one expert.

Over recent decades, labor's share of GDP has declined steadily in many countries. The International Labour Organization suggests that reforming the labor market could halt that downturn and, at the same time, help reduce inequality.