Government | IMF Blog

The Wealth of Nations: Governments Can Better Manage What They Own and Owe

By Vitor Gaspar, Jason Harris, and Alexander Tieman

October 10, 2018

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A firefighter in Auckland, New Zealand: when governments know what they own they can put their assets to better use and can earn about 3 percent of GDP more in revenues to spend on citizens’ well being (Photo: Rafael Ben-Ari/Newscom)

What is the state of your personal finances? You probably think first about your debts: your mortgage, your credit card balance, and your student loans. But you probably also think about how much cash is sitting in the bank, the value of your house, and the rest of your nest egg.

Surprisingly, most governments do not approach their finances this way. Continue reading “The Wealth of Nations: Governments Can Better Manage What They Own and Owe” »

By IMFBlog| October 9th, 2018|Advanced Economies, Africa, Annual Meetings, Asia, banking, China, commodities, developing countries, Economic Crisis, Economic outlook, Economic research, education, Emerging Markets, Employment, euro zone, Europe, Finance, Financial Crisis, Financial markets, Financing, Fiscal, Fiscal discipline, Fiscal policy, Fiscal Stimulus, Government, growth, health, housing, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Jobs, labor force, Latin America, Politics, productivity, Public debt, taxation, trade, U.S., unemployment, wages|

The Financial System Is Stronger, but New Vulnerabilities Have Emerged in the Decade Since the Crisis

By Tobias Adrian

October 10, 2018

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Debt owed by governments, companies and households in economies with globally systemically important financial sectors has risen since the global financial crisis (Photo: Richard B. Levine/Newscom)

Although the global expansion has plateaued, easy monetary policies continue to support growth. But we shouldn’t rest too easily. Chapter 1 of the latest Global Financial Stability Report finds that short-term risks to the financial system have increased somewhat over the past six months. Continue reading “The Financial System Is Stronger, but New Vulnerabilities Have Emerged in the Decade Since the Crisis” »

By IMFBlog| October 9th, 2018|Advanced Economies, Annual Meetings, Asia, banking, capital flows, capital markets, China, credit, currency, developing countries, Economic Crisis, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, euro zone, Europe, Finance, Financial Crisis, Financial markets, financial policy, Financial regulation, Financing, Government, growth, IMF, Interest Rates, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Latin America, monetary policy, trade, U.S., wages|

Give Today’s Children a Chance

By Christine Lagarde and Vitor Gaspar

September 24, 2018

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Children in early childhood education in Indonesia: more money put into education helps countries achieve their Sustainable Development Goals (Photo: Ajun-Ally/Pacific Press/Newscom)

World leaders are gathering at the United Nations to discuss how to deliver on development for all that is economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable—“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Continue reading “Give Today’s Children a Chance” »

By IMFBlog| September 24th, 2018|Advanced Economies, Africa, Annual Meetings, Asia, capital markets, climate change, developing countries, Economic outlook, Economic research, education, Emerging Markets, Employment, Environment, Finance, Financial markets, financial policy, Financing, Fiscal, Fiscal policy, G-20, Gender issues, Globalization, Government, growth, health, housing, IMF, inclusive growth, income, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, Jobs, labor force, LICs, Low-income countries, technology, Uncategorized, unemployment, wages, youth|

Steering the World Toward More Cooperation, Not Less

By Vitor Gaspar, Sean Hagan, and Maurice Obstfeld

September 6, 2018

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With the world becoming more interdependent than ever before, countries can achieve a lot when they pull together (photo: Anton Sokolov/iStock by Getty Images)

Countries cooperate if they perceive it to be in their best interests, both economically and politically. Continue reading “Steering the World Toward More Cooperation, Not Less” »

By IMFBlog| September 6th, 2018|Advanced Economies, Global Governance, Globalization, Government, inclusive growth, Inequality|

Ten Years After Lehman—Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead

By Christine Lagarde

September 5, 2018

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A trader on the New York Stock Exchange the day US investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy: the global crisis that followed is a defining moment of our time (Photo: Nancy-Kaszerman/ZUMA Press/Newscom)

The global financial crisis remains one of the defining events of our time. It will forever mark the generation that lived through it. Continue reading “Ten Years After Lehman—Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead” »

By IMFBlog| September 5th, 2018|Advanced Economies, banking, capital markets, commodities, Corporate Risk, developing countries, Economic Crisis, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, Europe, Finance, Financial Crisis, Financial markets, financial policy, Financial regulation, G-20, Global Governance, Government, housing, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Jobs, monetary policy, U.S., unemployment, wages|

Chart of the Week: Educate Girls and Women to Boost Equality

By IMFBlog

August 22, 2018

Versions in عربي, 中文, Español,, Français, 日本語, Português

Schoolgirls in Valladolid, Mexico: Policies that focus on educating girls increase the likelihood that they will enter the labor force (photo: kertu_ee/iStock by Getty Images)

Government policies have boosted women’s participation in the work force. But women still make up a smaller percentage of the labor force than men in most countries. Of the many policies available, such as education and legal rights, which ones provide the most “bang for the buck” to reduce inequality between men and women? Continue reading “Chart of the Week: Educate Girls and Women to Boost Equality” »

By IMFBlog| August 22nd, 2018|Advanced Economies, Africa, Asia, China, developing countries, Economic outlook, Economic research, education, Employment, Finance, Fiscal policy, Government, growth, health, IMF, income, India, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, Jobs, labor markets, South America, U.S., wages, youth|

Chart of the Week: When High Yield Goes Boom

By Divya Kirti

June 26, 2018

Versions in Español, Português

A credit boom can be fueled by excessive optimism among investors (photo: Nick White/Newscom)

We’ve all heard about good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Too much of the good stuff probably won’t do you any harm. Too much of the bad stuff can lead to a heart attack. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: When High Yield Goes Boom” »

By IMFBlog| June 26th, 2018|banking, capital markets, Corporate Risk, credit, Financial markets, Government, Investment|

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” »

By IMFBlog| May 31st, 2018|Advanced Economies, China, developing countries, Emerging Markets, Globalization, Government, inclusive growth, India, Inequality, U.S.|

Our Digital Future

By Camilla Lund Andersen

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” »

By IMFBlog| May 30th, 2018|Advanced Economies, Asia, banking, capital flows, capital markets, credit, currency, Economic outlook, Emerging Markets, euro zone, Europe, Europe's currency union, Finance, Financial markets, financial policy, Financial regulation, Financing, Government, income, Uncategorized|

Trust and the Future of Multilateralism

By David Lipton

May 10, 2018
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Where trust exists and is reciprocated—where there is “confidence” in policies, institutions and systems—economies will achieve more (photo: iStock by Getty Images).

We live in an era of doubts and questions about the global order. We have seen an erosion of trust in bedrock institutions—political parties, national governments, regional authorities, and among international trade and investment partners. Continue reading “Trust and the Future of Multilateralism” »

By IMFBlog| May 10th, 2018|Advanced Economies, corruption, Global Governance, Government, inclusive growth, structural reforms|

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