How the Commodity Boom Helped Tackle Poverty and Inequality in Latin America
By Ravi Balakrishnan and Frederik Toscani
June 21, 2018
People buying produce in a busy market in Bahia, Brazil. During the commodity boom, Brazil saw significant reductions in poverty and inequality (photo: golero/iStock by Getty Images)
Latin America may be the most unequal region in the world, but it is the only region to significantly lower inequality over the past two decades, and the boom in commodity prices helped make it happen. Continue reading “How the Commodity Boom Helped Tackle Poverty and Inequality in Latin America” »
From Shadows to Sunlight, Paraguay’s Road to Transparency
By IMFBlog
June 15, 2018
Lea Giménez Duarte, Paraguay’s Finance Minister speaking at IMF World-Bank Spring meetings seminar Restoring Trust by Curbing Corruption (photo: IMF)
Current Paraguayan Finance Minister Lea Giménez Duarte knows first-hand that transparency pays off. In this podcast, Duarte says the changes began after the government passed a transparency law in 2014. Continue reading “From Shadows to Sunlight, Paraguay’s Road to Transparency” »
Chart of the Week: Japan’s Robots
By IMFBlog
June 12, 2018
A Panasonic robot moves around the lounge of Tokyo's Narita International Airport (photo: Yoshio Tsunoda/AAFLO/Alamy Live News)
As Japan’s population ages and the birth rate is too low to sustain growth, the country is no stranger to coping with a limited number of working age people. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: Japan’s Robots” »
An Imbalance in Global Banks’ Dollar Funding
By John Caparusso, Yingyuan Chen, Hideo Hashimoto, David Jones, Will Kerry and Aki Yokoyama
June 12, 2018
Versions in Español, Deutsche, Français, 日本語, Português
The US Treasury is issuing more T-bills, potentially putting upward pressure on the interest rates non-US banks must pay for short-term dollar funding (photo: Jennifer Hack/KRT/Newscom)
For companies and investors outside the United States, the dollar is often the currency of choice. Surprisingly, though, US banks play only a limited role in lending dollars to international borrowers. Most of the $7 trillion in banks’ dollar lending outside the United States is handled by banks based in Europe, Japan and elsewhere. Continue reading “An Imbalance in Global Banks’ Dollar Funding” »
5 Things You Need to Know About the IMF and Climate Change
By Ian Parry
June 8, 2018
Version in 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
A polar bear on shrinking ice in the Arctic: climate change means the world is getting hotter (photo: Sven-Erik Arndt/Newscom)
The world is getting hotter, resulting in rising sea levels, more extreme weather like hurricanes, droughts, and floods, as well as other risks to the global climate like the irreversible collapsing of ice sheets. Continue reading “5 Things You Need to Know About the IMF and Climate Change” »
Chart of the Week: The Rise of Corporate Giants
By Federico J. Díez and Daniel Leigh
June 6, 2018
Versions in 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
The market power of “superstar” companies in advanced economies is growing (photo: iStock by Getty Images)
The growing economic wealth and power of big companies—from airlines to pharmaceuticals to high-tech companies—has raised concerns about too much concentration and market power in the hands of too few. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: The Rise of Corporate Giants” »
Chart of the Week: Distribution of Globalization’s Gains
By IMFBlog
May 31, 2018
A garment factory in Ethiopia, which globalization has helped to boost its growth (photo: Kay Neitfeld/Newscom).
While globalization is generally good for economic growth, the benefits are subject to diminishing marginal returns, according to a recent study of 147 countries from 1970 to 2014. The study looks at how globalization affects the distribution of incomes across and within countries. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: Distribution of Globalization’s Gains” »
Our Digital Future
May 30, 2018
“Money makes the world go around,” Liza Minnelli famously sang in the movie Cabaret. Money has for centuries been central to human relationships. Loss of faith in its value can result in economic and political instability, even war. In the past few years, financial technology—fintech for short—has caught the world’s imagination by offering alternatives to traditional means of payment. Will digitalization redefine money? In this issue, we explore the possible consequences, good and bad. Continue reading “Our Digital Future” »
Creating a Better Global Trade System
May 29, 2018
Versions in عربي, 中文, Français, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 日本語, Português, Русский
Engineers inspect the 3D printing of a bicycle frame in California: trade in services has risen dramatically and the use of technology is changing how countries trade with each other (photo: Stephen Lam/Reuters /Newscom).
Recent news on global trade has tended to focus on protectionist measures and diplomatic tensions. These challenges have raised concerns over growth and jobs across the world. Continue reading “Creating a Better Global Trade System” »
Chart of the Week: Greenery and Prosperity
By João Tovar Jalles and Prakash Loungani
May 21, 2018
Versions in 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português
Brandenburg, Germany: in three advanced economies—Germany, the United Kingdom, and France—emissions have fallen despite the increase in incomes (photo: Caro / Kaiser/Newscom).
Economic growth has traditionally moved in tandem with pollution. But can countries break this link and manage to grow while lowering pollution?
Continue reading “Chart of the Week: Greenery and Prosperity” »
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