IMF Podcasts

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.

Bien qu'une croissance mondiale de 3,3 % soit prévue cette année, et de 4 % en 2014, la santé de l'économie mondiale est mitigée. Blanchard, économiste en chef au FMI, explique que, si nous avons passé le pire, les dirigeants ne peuvent toujours pas se permettre de relâcher leur effort.

In the last two decades, many low-income countries have experienced economic take off. But in the 60s and 70s, many of these same countries already boasted robust economic performances, until it all came to an abrupt stop. Can low-income countries keep on growing, this time?

Dans le processus de développement, les pays subissent des changements structurels. Autrement dit, leurs priorités économiques évoluent d'un secteur à l'autre. Ils diversifient leurs produits, favorisant ainsi leur ascension économique. Mais quand un pays aussi vaste que la Chine procède à des réformes structurelles, l'impact se ressent au-delà de ses frontières.

When you want to get a better job or achieve personal development, you might choose to increase your skills. This might mean learning something new, or acquiring more education. It's the same with countries, if they want to climb up the ladder of development, they need to develop their capacity, or "capabilities," says top economist Ricardo Hausmann.

تأخرت بلدان منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا عن اللحاق بركب اقتصادات الأسواق الصاعدة والبلدان النامية في مجالي النمو الاقتصادي والتجارة على مدار العقدين الماضيين، ولم تكن التجارة في هذه البلدان بمثابة المحرك القوي للنمو مقارنة بالبلدان الأخرى. تركز مقالة في عدد مجلة التمويل والتنمية لصندوق النقد الدولي على هذه المستويات المنخفضة في التجارة في المنطقة. ويوضح الخبير الاقتصادي "أمين ماتي" كيف يمكن توسيع نطاق النمو في المنطقة.

In many countries, governments often subsidize the energy sector keeping the price of power lower than it might otherwise be. The aim is to protect the poor by keeping prices low. But, a new study by the International Monetary Fund suggests that these subsidies don't always have the desired effect.

Les subventions énergétiques jouent un rôle important dans de nombreuses régions du monde. Elles peuvent aider les pauvres en facilitant leur accès à l'énergie. Toutefois, une nouvelle étude du FMI indique que ces subventions ont souvent des conséquences imprévues.

Supporters of globalization say that globalization creates growth by encouraging people and countries to interact and trade with each other across national borders. But, has the focus on international integration caused policymakers to overlook the need to integrate their national economies?

Sub-Saharan economies might be performing well now, but not so long ago, they were mired in debt. During the 70's, many of them borrowed money to unsustainable levels and found themselves unable to service their debt. Joly explains how they got out of their predicament.

Les pays d'Afrique subsaharienne enregistrent de bons résultats aujourd'hui, mais il n'y a pas si longtemps, ils étaient surendettés. Dans les années 70, beaucoup d'entre eux ont emprunté dans des proportions intenables et se sont trouvés dans l'incapacité de repayer leur dette.

Mozambique has had one of highest growth rates in Sub-Saharan Africa over the past two decades. But the increased riches aren't being enjoyed by all. The government is now aiming for "inclusive growth"—something which the IMF is increasingly pursuing in ITS work in Sub-Saharan Africa. But what is "inclusive growth", and how to achieve it?

The euro area may be the world's largest and most well-known regional currency union, but the Eastern Caribbean Economic and Currency Union is an interesting microcosm of its larger European counterpart. The two could learn lessons from each other, suggests an IMF economist.

The 1944 Bretton Woods conference laid the foundations of the modern international monetary system, but little was known about the exact proceedings of that historic gathering, until now. A U.S. treasury economist's discovery of the original transcript of that meeting provides an insight into the characters and the intense debate surrounding the birth of two major international organizations.

Fiscal policy—or the way a government taxes, spends and borrows money—can have a huge impact on reducing inequality. But according to a recent IMF study, that impact has been shrinking over the past decade, as governments scale back social benefits, and make income taxes less progressive.

Un état est considéré fragile lorsqu'il souffre d'instabilité politique et économique, de pauvreté, qu'il se prête au trafic humain, qu'il est ravagé par les maladies ou qu'il subit tous ces fléaux à la fois. Mais comment identifier un état fragile et quelles politiques les états fragiles peuvent-ils mener pour devenir des nations pleinement opérationnelles?

The features of a fragile state can include political and economic instability, poverty, civil disorder, terrorism, human trafficking, disease, or all of these. But how to identify a fragile state, and what policies can fragile states pursue to become fully functioning nations?

Over the past several decades, advanced economies, especially the United States, have seen a striking rise in inequality. David Autor of MIT, argues that trend is driven by rapidly developing technology, which has made highly educated workers much more valuable, and which is pushing others out of jobs.

The global economy is set to strengthen gradually in 2013, but risks remain. In the latest update to its World Economic Outlook, the IMF projects growth will be 3.5% this year. In this podcast, the IMF chief economist explains that despite the brighter outlook, policymakers need to address risks to the global economy.

Dans le dernier rapport sur les Perspectives de l'économie mondiale, le FMI prévoit une croissance de 3,5 % cette année. Dans ce podcast, Mr. Blanchard explique qu'en dépit de l'amélioration des perspectives, les dirigeants doivent s'attaquer aux risques qui pèsent sur l'économie mondiale.

World leaders have avoided a collapse of the global economy, but they must now follow through with reforms to avoid a relapse into crisis, says Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF.

Durant ces dernières années, l'évolution en dents de scie des cours des matières premières a porté atteinte à de nombreuses régions, et notamment à l'Afrique subsaharienne. Le sort des pays de la région est en effet intimement lié aux fluctuations de ces prix. Que peuvent donc faire les pays pour se protéger contre ces chocs?

Selon Acemoglu, la pauvreté ou la prospérité d'une nation sont sans doute autant l'affaire de la politique que de l'économie. Il avance que les pays plus démocratiques dotés d'institutions politiques «inclusives» parviennent à créer et à entretenir la prospérité, tandis que les régimes «extractifs» autoritaires mènent à la pauvreté.

In the second part of our series on social safety nets in sub-Saharan Africa, we look at practice on the ground. In Burkina Faso, the IMF is working with the government to develop targeted welfare programs. The aim is to identify and help the most vulnerable. But it is still a work-in-progress.

Globally, over 200 million people are unemployed, according to the IMF. Many European markets and emerging markets are suffering double-digit jobless rates, and youth and long-term unemployment are at alarming levels. What skills then do job seekers in a global labor market need to succeed?

Social safety nets aren't just charitable handouts, they're an essential way to ensure growth is sustainable, says the IMF. Safety nets range from cash transfers through health care, to public works programs to create employment. Over the last decade, more countries in sub-Saharan Africa have been adopting social safety nets to help their poorest.

The volatility and price spikes of raw commodities has affected many regions in recent years—sub-Saharan Africa among them. This is because the price of a commodity can make or break the health of a country in this region. What then can countries do to protect themselves from price shocks?

A nation's poverty or prosperity may have as much to do with politics as economics, says Daron Acemoglu. He argues that more democratic countries with inclusive political institutions create sustained prosperity, while "extractive," authoritarian regimes lead toward poverty.

Underdevelopment has often been blamed on bad policies adopted by national governments. Augustin Fosu has identified four such policies which he believes have been the cause of inefficiency, overregulation and misallocation of resources

In the last two decades, growth has accelerated significantly in most of sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers at the IMF have been exploring whether this high growth has also led to, what economists describe as, "structural transformation" on the continent.

Decades after the end of colonial rule in Africa, and more than one hundred years after the official end of the slave trade in the US, the continent remains among the least-developed regions of the globe. But how far is the trade in human beings responsible for Africa's lack of economic progress?

Les pays émergents et en développement ont remarquablement résisté au récent marasme économique. De la crise asiatique des années 1990 à la crise de 2008, ils ont vite rebondi, prenant même de l'essor. Comment expliquer cette amélioration de la performance ? Abdul de Guia Abiad remonte aux sources de nombreux cas de réussite et cerne quelques facteurs communs.

La crise financière mondiale a mis en évidence l'augmentation des inégalités de revenus dans le monde. Thomas Piketty a étudié cette disparité croissante ces dernières années et plaide en faveur d'une imposition progressive pour atténuer cette tendance.

Devant la recrudescence de la hausse des prix des produits alimentaires et pétroliers, Samya Beidas-Strom, économiste au FMI, montre que la volatilité de ces prix peut être atténuée.

Despite their oil wealth, the countries of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community still struggle with the "Resource Curse". Sharmini Coorey, Director of the IMF's Institute of Capacity Development describe the challenges of managing oil wealth in the region, and outline policies that could help overcome them.

China's current account surplus has declined dramatically over recent years. Many economists believe this signals a much needed rebalancing of the world's second largest economy toward domestic sources of growth. So, what's the reason behind this drop and what does it mean for the rest of Asia?

Financial crises have been with us for hundreds of years. From the currency crisis of the Roman Empire to more recent events such as the 2008 financial meltdown, financial crises have been pervasive in market economies. Gary Gorton argues that crises are inevitable, but that with the right policies, their effects can be mitigated.

Selon Kemal Dervis, trois tendances fondamentales sont aujourd'hui à l'œuvre au sein de l'économie mondiale : la convergence de la croissance des économies émergentes et avancées, l'interdépendance des mouvements conjoncturels des différents pays et la divergence des revenus au sein des sociétés.

Historically, countries that are rich in mineral and commodity resources, like oil, copper or coffee, for example, have had lower rates of growth compared to nations which don't enjoy those advantages. It's a phenomenon dubbed the nature resource curse." Jeffrey Frankel outlines ways he believes the natural resource curse can be mitigated or even avoided.

After a period of high growth between 2007 and 2010, Malawi's economic situation took a turn for the worst. Between 2010 and 2011, growth fell two percent from 6 and a half percent. But since April this year, when a new administration took office, the country has been enjoying renewed stability and revitalized relations with partners.

Après une période de forte croissance entre 2007 et 2010, la situation économique du Malawi s'est détériorée. Le taux de croissance qui se situait à 6,5 % en 2010 a perdu 2 points en 2011. Cependant, depuis avril, avec l'entrée en fonction d'un nouveau gouvernement, le pays connaît un regain de stabilité et renoue le dialogue avec les bailleurs de fonds.

La croissance de l'économie chinoise se modère, mais cela n'est pas nécessairement négatif. Le FMI dresse un bilan de la deuxième économie de la planète.

China's growth is moderating, but it's not all bad. The IMF's most recent thinking on the world's second largest economy.

L'Afrique subsaharienne a parcouru un chemin considérable. Il y a une dizaine d'années, d'aucuns parlaient d'un «continent sans espoir». Aujourd'hui, de nombreux observateurs soulignent la montée en puissance de l'Afrique. Thierry Tanoh partage ses idées sur les perspectives de développement de l'Afrique.

Sub-Saharan Africa has come a long way. Ten years ago, it was labeled the "hopeless continent" by one leading publication, but today, Africa is considered by many as a rising power. In this podcast, Thierry Tanoh, who has just left as Vice president of the International Finance Corporation, shares his insights on the prospects for Africa's development.

Face aux inégalités qui ne cessent de se creuser, il est courant de ne voir que les extrêmes de l'échelle salariale : les grandes fortunes et les gens qui peinent à survivre. Raghuram Rajan, ancien chef économiste du FMI estime que c'est plutôt le déclin des classes moyennes qui doit nous préoccuper.

As the trend towards increasing inequality continues, most attention is focused at the extremes: those who are paid at the top of the pay scale, and others who only manage to scrape by. But a former IMF Chief Economist says we should really be worried about "the missing middle."

How to find the best tortillas while traveling in Mexico? Why is American food so bad today? Is agribusiness good for the global economy? Prolific author, blogger and economist Tyler Cowen takes on these questions--and many more--in his new book, "An Economist Gets Lunch", reviewed in June's F&D; magazine.

La Côte d'Ivoire vient de se voir accorder un allégement de dette de plus de sept milliards de dollars. Cela représente plus de 60 % de la dette extérieure du pays et ouvre des perspectives plus viables pour celui-ci.

Côte d'Ivoire has been granted over seven billion dollars in debt relief. This represents more than 60 percent of the country's external debt, and will help create a more sustainable future.