Guests

Outlooks / Labor

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.

Outlooks / Labor

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.

Women In Economics

Women in Economics: Kate Raworth on Economics for the Living Planet

KATE RAWORTH August 29, 2024

Kate Raworth talks with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about her alternative economic model Doughnut Economics, which places economic objectives within the social and ecological boundaries of the living planet. Raworth is an ecological economist and the author of Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist.

Raghuram Rajan on Blazing a New Path to India’s Development

RAGHURAM RAJAN, KRISHNA SRINIVASAN August 15, 2024

For many emerging market economies, moving from an export-oriented strategy with labor-intensive manufacturing to a more sophisticated production process was key to their development. But the world is quickly changing, and former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan says India need not follow that same path. In this podcast, IMF Asia and Pacific Department Head Krishna Srinivasan and Rajan discuss how India might leverage its growing workforce and pivot from “brawn to brain”.

F&D Magazine / Debt

Mark Aguiar: When Sovereign Debt Breaks its Promise

MARK AGUIAR August 8, 2024

For decades, governments have been tapping into global sovereign debt markets to smooth ups and downs in revenue with the hope that it would help spur investment. But what happens when government borrowing fails to deliver? Mark Aguiar is the Director of the International Economics Section at Princeton University, and his research suggests that sovereign borrowing to stabilize the economy may have the opposite effect.

Global / International trade

Michele Ruta on Trade Shifts

MICHELE RUTA July 31, 2024

New technology, the re-emergence of industrial policy, and rising geopolitical tensions are all putting added pressure on the international trading system. Michele Ruta is a trade expert at the IMF. He says global cooperation is key to preventing economic fragmentation, from which no one benefits.

Inequality / Inclusion and gender

Lisa Kolovich: Gender Equality to address Shifting Demographics

LISA KOLOVICH July 11, 2024

Aging populations in many advanced and emerging market economies mean shrinking workforces, weighing on growth. However, the opposite is true in low-income countries where populations are growing, and the expanding workforce may lack the skills for the job market. How can these two scenarios offset each other? IMF economist Lisa Kolovich says gender equality can serve as a stabilizing factor to rebalance demographic trends.

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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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