Financing for Sustainable Development: Tackling Big Challenges
By Chris Lane
Without adequate financing, the best intentions of the global community expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will remain beyond reach.
The IMF 30 Years After Brady
By Rhoda Weeks-Brown and Martin Mühleisen
Last month marked the 30th anniversary of the announcement of the “Brady plan”. In response to the 1980s Latin American debt crisis, this plan, named after then US Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady, allowed countries to exchange their commercial bank loans for bonds backed by US Treasuries, bringing an end to a tumultuous period with possible systemic consequences for the global banking system at the time. (more…)
Tackling Corruption in Government
By Vitor Gaspar, Paolo Mauro and Paulo Medas
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
No country is immune to corruption. The abuse of public office for private gain erodes people’s trust in government and institutions, makes public policies less effective and fair, and siphons taxpayers’ money away from schools, roads, and hospitals. (more…)
Assessing the Risk of the Next Housing Bust
By Claudio Raddatz and Nico Valckx
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
There’s good news for people living in Las Vegas, Miami and Phoenix: the risk of a housing bust like the one they endured during the global financial crisis is fairly small. (more…)
Economic Forces, Not Tariffs, Drive Changes in Trade Balances
By Johannes Eugster, Florence Jaumotte, Margaux MacDonald, and Roberto Piazza
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
New IMF research finds that macroeconomic factors, not tariffs, explain most of the changes in trade balances between two countries. (more…)
Countries in the IMF Financial Spotlight in 2019
By IMFBlog
In 2019, the IMF will complete 14 assessments under the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). Eight of this year’s assessments are mandatory: Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Italy, Poland, Singapore, and Switzerland. The other six are voluntary: Algeria, Bahamas, Kuwait, FYR Macedonia, Malta, and Thailand. (more…)
Top 10 Charts of the Week for 2018
By IMFBlog
January 7, 2019
Looking ahead (photo: Newsis/Reuters/Newscom)
A picture is worth a thousand words. The portraits of the global economy in our Chart of the Week series have proven a hit, and to help you start the year with just the right facts and figures, we have pulled together your top reads of 2018. (more…)
New Data on Global Debt
January 2, 2019
Pedestrians in the snow in Tokyo, Japan: the country is one of the top three borrowers in the world (photo: Morio Taga/Newscom)
Until recently, we had a partial view of global debt. Our new update to the IMF’s Global Debt Database, first made public in May 2018, now fills even more of the gaps. We have compiled data on public and private debt for 190 countries, dating back to 1950, which now includes the latest numbers for 2017.
Top 10 Blogs of 2018
By IMFBlog
December 28, 2018
New Year’s eve fireworks in London, England: read our top ten blogs of 2018 (photo: Ben Cawthra/Newscom)
In 2018, the blogs that caught our readers’ collective eye were about the enduring forces molding the global economy: Brexit, crypto assets, debt, and housing prices, to name a few. (more…)