Archive

Simon Johnson on Technology, Institutions and Prosperity

SIMON JOHNSON February 14, 2025

Countries with better institutions are more prosperous. A truism perhaps, but then why are they so hard to build and sustain? That is the question that Simon Johnson has sought to explain since the fall of communism and the basis for the research that won him the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. In this podcast, Johnson discusses the interdependence of institutions and technology, the topic of his latest book Power and Progress.

F&D Magazine / Development

Elizabeth Johnson on Fixing São Paulo’s Housing Deficit

ELIZABETH JOHNSON December 19, 2024

As urbanization continues to grow worldwide, affordable housing is a rare commodity in many cities. São Paulo, South America’s biggest city, has gained over 2 million new residents in the past decade alone. Elizabeth Johnson heads Brazil research at TS Lombard and says the city is now looking to its largely abandoned downtown core to address its housing woes.

F&D Magazine / Housing

Deniz Igan on The Housing Affordability Crunch

DENIZ IGAN December 12, 2024

While housing markets play a significant role in economies, new research shows houses across 40 countries are less affordable than at any time since the 2008 financial crisis. In this podcast, IMF economist Deniz Igan says the pandemic triggered an unusual sequence of events that housing markets around the world are still struggling to correct.

Driving Change / Inclusion and gender

Driving Change: Ipek Ilkkaracan on Why Investing in Care Pays Off

IPEK ILKKARACAN December 4, 2024

Driving Change: Women-Led Development Economics from the Ground Up is an IMF / IEA-WE collaborative podcast series. This episode features Turkish economist Ipek Ilkkaracan, who makes a strong business case for investing in social care infrastructure.

Driving Change / Development

Driving Change: Marcela Eslava on Latin America’s Social Security Woes

MARCELA ESLAVA December 4, 2024

Driving Change: Women-Led Development Economics from the Ground Up is an IMF / IEA-WE collaborative podcast series. This episode features Colombian economist Marcela Eslava, whose research looks to fix Latin America’s dysfunctional social security network.

Driving Change / Data collection

Driving Change: Rose Ngugi on how Indices are giving Kenya an Edge

ROSE NGUGI December 4, 2024

Driving Change: Women-Led Development Economics from the Ground Up is an IMF / IEA-WE collaborative podcast series. This episode features Kenyan economist Rose Ngugi whose indices are helping local counties design better policies.

Reforms amid Great Expectations: Sub-Saharan Africa’s Outlook

WENJIE CHEN, ANDREW TIFFIN November 13, 2024

With sub-Saharan Africa soon to have one of the largest working-age populations in the world, removing barriers to business growth and encouraging higher productivity industries will help provide the employment opportunities it needs. Wenjie Chen and Andrew Tiffin produce the Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa. In this podcast, they say implementing reforms that create suﬃcient jobs will improve prospects for the region.

Financial Stability / Financial sector stability

Global Financial Stability: Financial Markets Navigate Uncertainty

Jason Wu, Nassira Abbas October 22, 2024

As inflation and interest rates continue to decline and the likelihood of a recession slowly fades, the latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) warns of several factors that could upend the recovery, including the disconnect between market buoyancy and heightened uncertainty. Jason Wu and Nassira Abbas lead the IMF’s work on financial stability. In this podcast, they say while the near-term risks appear contained, medium-term prospects remain a concern.

The Case for a Global Corporate Minimum Tax: Cory Hillier, Shafik Hebous

Cory Hillier, Shafik Hebous October 10, 2024

While 21st-century globalization and international trade dramatically changed how multinational corporations operate, the way they are taxed is largely based on early 20th-century thinking. Recent efforts to modernize the international corporate tax system include a minimum corporate tax to make it more equitable. The IMF's Cory Hillier and Shafik Hebous are coauthors of recent research that seeks to strengthen the impact of a corporate minimum tax.

Technology / Artificial intelligence

Yuval Noah Harari on Human Evolution and the AI Revolution

Yuval Noah Harari October 1, 2024

Stories can unify or divide but our ability to imagine them is uniquely human. Cooperation and trust, built through shared stories and narratives, are the foundation of human societies and economies. So what happens when humans no longer hold the pen? Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and author. In this podcast, Harari says artificial intelligence is a risk to humankind’s most valuable resource, trust.

Global / Cross country analysis

Egypt: Stability Lays Groundwork for Transformation

Ivanna Vladkova Hollar September 25, 2024

Egypt’s efforts to restore macroeconomic stability in recent years have led to an arrangement under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility for Egypt, which makes available US$820 million to help support its reform agenda. Ivanna Vladkova Hollar leads the IMF’s work in Egypt. In this podcast, she says that while stabilizing its economy is positive, Egypt’s next big step is an economic transformation that will lift its private sector.

F&D Magazine / Productivity

Nicholas Bloom on why Remote Work is Good for Growth

NICHOLAS BLOOM September 3, 2024

Working from home was not an option for most people before March 11, 2020, when work and home life suddenly collided. Stanford University's Nicholas Bloom was studying the potential impact of remote work long before the pandemic launched it into the mainstream and now has data to suggest businesses should stick to the hybrid working model.

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About IMF Podcasts

IMF Podcasts are the views of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and external officials on pressing economic and policy issues of the day. The IMF, based in Washington D.C., is an organization of 191 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation and financial stability around the world. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF and its Executive Board.

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