Search Results for “Vietnam”

Chart of the Week: A Golden Aging for Vietnam?

IMFBlog2019-03-25T12:43:16-05:00July 17, 2017|

July 17, 2017

A worker in a silk factory in Dalat, Vietnam. Encouraging more women to join the workforce and shifting to higher productivity occupations will help the country overcome the impact of an aging population (photo: Gerhard Zwerger-Schoner/imageBroker/Newscom)

Vietnam’s demographic dividend is fast turning into a handicap.

For decades, working-age Vietnamese made up an expanding share of the population, boosting economic growth and helping to keep retirement and health spending in check. (more…)

A “New Deal” for Informal Workers in Asia

IMFBlog2020-05-08T14:22:06-05:00April 30, 2020|

By Era Dabla-Norris and Changyong Rhee

عربي, 中文, Español, Français,日本語, Português, Русский

Full or partial lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19 are having crippling effects on businesses and workers across Asia, as elsewhere. Among the most vulnerable of the workers are the ones working in part-time and temporary jobs without social insurance, and in sectors of the economy that are neither taxed, nor regulated by any form of government.

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Varapat Chensavasdijai

IMFBlog2020-05-13T10:19:56-05:00April 23, 2020|

Varapat Chensavasdijai is the Deputy Division Chief of Caribbean I Division in the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department. He is the mission chief for Trinidad and Tobago. Previously, he was in the Strategy, Policy, and Review Department, working on debt and external policy issues and IMF programs with Ireland and Ukraine. He was also in the Asia and Pacific Department, covering a broad range of countries including Korea, Maldives, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Prior to joining the IMF, he worked at the Bank of Thailand. He holds a BSc and MSc from the London School of Economics and a PhD from Oxford University.

Latest Posts:

COVID-19 Pandemic and the Caribbean: Navigating Uncharted Waters

Fiscal Policies to Protect People During the Coronavirus Outbreak

IMFBlog2020-03-16T15:02:56-05:00March 5, 2020|

This blog is part of a special series on the response to the coronavirus.

By Vitor Gaspar and Paolo Mauro

عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский

A key role of government is to protect the well-being of its people—most crucially and visibly during emergencies such as the recent outbreak of the coronavirus. The IMF has $50 billion available in rapid-disbursing emergency financing to help countries suffering from the virus. As Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said, what we want is to guarantee that people are not going to die because of a lack of money. (more…)

The Digital Accelerator: Revving Up Government in Asia

IMFBlog2019-03-13T13:58:38-05:00September 26, 2018|

By Vitor Gaspar and Chang Yong Rhee

September 26, 2018

عربي , 中文, Español, 日本語, Português, Русский,

A driver from the Malaysian ride-hailing tech startup, Grab, picks up a passenger in Jakarta, Indonesia: digitalization is transforming Asia’s businesses and governments (photo: Afif C. Kasuma/iStock by Getty Images)

Asia’s digital revolution shows no signs of slowing down. From e-commerce giants like China’s Alibaba and Japan’s Rakuten, to ride-hailing, and digital payment tech startups, like Indonesia’s Go-Jek and India’s Paytm, and the widespread use of industrial robots for manufacturing, digitalization is changing the way the region’s businesses operate. (more…)

Region on the Rise

IMFBlog2019-03-13T15:06:24-05:00August 30, 2018|

By Camilla Lund Andersen

August 30,2018

(photo: Michael Waraksa)

SREYNITH HAK, 25, MOVED to Phnom Penh eight years ago to pursue a bachelor’s degree in media management. (more…)

5 Things You Need to Know About the IMF and the Sustainable Development Goals

IMFBlog2019-03-13T15:53:53-05:00July 26, 2018|

By Tony Annett and Chris Lane

July 26, 2018

Version in عربي , 中文, Español, Baˈhasa indoneˈsia, 日本語, Português, Русский

The global economic juggernaut is bumping into the boundaries of environmental safety (photo: Infogram).

Although we live in an age of unparalleled wealth and technological achievement, billions of people are still suffering from poverty, hunger, exclusion, and conflict. (more…)

Alexandros Mourmouras

IMFBlog2018-03-07T09:16:34-05:00March 6, 2018|

Alex Mourmouras is division chief in the Asia and Pacific department of the IMF where he has served as mission chief for Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. He was previously division chief in the IMF Institute for Capacity Development and economist in the Fund’s Policy Development and Review and Fiscal Affairs Departments. He holds a Ph.D in economics from the University of Minnesota and a BA degree from Harvard College.

Latest Post:

Welfare Versus GDP: What Makes People Better Off

Helping Feed the World’s Fast-Growing Population

IMFBlog2019-03-26T12:59:13-05:00January 31, 2017|

rabah-arezki-imf By Rabah Arezki

Agriculture and food markets are plagued with inefficiencies that have dramatic consequences for the welfare of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Globally, farm subsidies amount to over $560 billion a year—equivalent to nearly four times the aid given to developing countries by richer ones. Major emerging-market nations have increased subsidies rapidly, even as rich nations cut theirs drastically. Meanwhile, tariffs on farm products remain a major point of contention in global trade talks.

One third of global food production goes to waste, while food insecurity is still rampant in developing countries. Even with the explosion of agricultural productivity since the middle of the 20th century, food security remains a challenge for much of the developing world. Food-calorie production will have to expand by 70 percent by 2050 to keep up with a global population that’s forecast to grow to 9.7 billion from last year’s 7.3 billion. Food insecurity can lead to violence and conflicts that can spill over well beyond borders. (more…)

Who Wins and Who Loses As China Rebalances

IMFBlog2019-03-27T09:35:33-05:00May 12, 2016|

By Serkan Arslanalp, Thomas Helbling, Jaewoo Lee, and Koshy Mathai

Version in 中文 (Chinese)

China’s economy leaves nobody indifferent. The world is watching closely as the second largest economy in the world is shifting its growth model from an export-driven one to one centered on household consumption. As China’s economy slows and rebalances, its impact is being felt on an already fragile global economy, and particularly in the rest of the Asia region. Our recent studies show that while China’s rebalancing will adversely affect some Asian economies, it will also open opportunities for several others.

(more…)

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