Yan Carriere-Swallow says any disruption in shipping networks has global implications on prices. (photo: Weijia Yao)
Most of the goods we purchase travel across the oceans in steel containers aboard the largest ships ever to sail the seas. But the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns knocked the wind from their sails and disrupted the entire global shipping network, causing supply shortages and soaring shipping costs. IMF economist Yan Carrière-Swallow has studied the macroeconomic impact of shocks to ocean freight, and in this podcast, he says shipping costs are an important driver of inflation around the world. Transcript
Yan Carrière-Swallow is coauthor along with Pragyan Deb, Davide Furceri, Daniel Jimenez and Jonathan Ostry, of Shipping Costs and Inflation available at IMF.org.
YAN CARRIèRE-SWALLOW is an economist in the IMF’s Strategy, Policy, and Review Department.
International Monetary Fund
Bruce Edwards produces the IMF podcast program. He's an award-winning audio producer and journalist who's covered armed conflicts, social unrest, and natural disasters from all corners of the world. He believes economists have an important role in solving the world's problems and aspires to showcase their research in every IMF podcast.
RHODA METCALFE is an independent journalist and audio producer.
