Spring Meetings | IMF Blog

Shining a Bright Light into the Dark Corners of Weak Governance and Corruption

April 22, 2018

Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), baˈhasa indoneˈsia (Indonesian), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)

Anti-corruption strategies require broader regulatory and institutional reforms (Kritchanut/iStock).

The IMF Executive Board has just endorsed a new framework for stepping up engagement on governance and corruption in our member countries. Let me talk about why this is important and what it means for our work.

Continue reading “Shining a Bright Light into the Dark Corners of Weak Governance and Corruption” »

By IMFBlog| April 22nd, 2018|Advanced Economies, corruption, Financial regulation, Global Governance, Government, inclusive growth, Inequality, Investment, Politics, Spring Meetings, structural reforms, taxation|

Global Economy: Good News for Now but Trade Tensions a Threat

By Maurice Obstfeld

April 17, 2018

Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)

Container ship in Colombo, Sri Lanka: the recent escalating tensions over trade present a growing risk to the global economy (photo: STRINGER/REUTERS/Newscom).

The world economy continues to show broad-based momentum. Against that positive backdrop, the prospect of a similarly broad-based conflict over trade presents a jarring picture.

Three months ago, we updated our global growth forecast for this year and next substantially, to 3.9 percent in both years. That forecast is being borne out by continuing strong performance in the euro area, Japan, China, and the United States, all of which grew above expectations last year. We also project near-term improvements for several other emerging market and developing economies, including some recovery in commodity exporters. Continuing to power the world economy’s upswing are accelerations in investment and, notably, in trade. Continue reading “Global Economy: Good News for Now but Trade Tensions a Threat” »

By IMFBlog| April 17th, 2018|Advanced Economies, China, commodities, developing countries, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, exports, Fiscal Stimulus, growth, labor force, monetary policy, Spring Meetings, structural reforms, trade, U.S.|

Fiscal Rules: Make them Easy to Love and Hard to Cheat

By Xavier Debrun, Luc Eyraud, Andrew Hodge, Victor Lledo, Catherine Pattillo, Abdelhak Senhadji

April 13, 2018

Versions in Español (Spanish), Français (French), Português (Portuguese)

The national debt clock in New York City: a fiscal rule, like the debt ceiling, should not be set too low or too high. (photo: Frances M. Roberts/Newscom)

Rules to contain lavish government deficits are most effective if countries design them to be simple, flexible, and enforceable in the face of changing economic circumstances.

In new analysis, we look at fiscal rules in over 90 countries and, based on their experiences, find that the rules put in the place over the last three decades often were too complex, overly rigid, and difficult to enforce. Continue reading “Fiscal Rules: Make them Easy to Love and Hard to Cheat” »

By IMFBlog| April 13th, 2018|Advanced Economies, aging, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, Employment, Environment, Europe, Finance, Financing, Fiscal, Fiscal discipline, Fiscal policy, Fiscal Stimulus, Globalization, Government, growth, IMF, interest rates, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Latin America, Low-income countries, Multilateral Cooperation, Politics, Public debt, South America, Spring Meetings, taxation, technology, U.S., Uncategorized|

The Digital Gamble: New Technology Transforms Fiscal Policy

By Vitor Gaspar and Geneviève Verdier

April 12, 2018

Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)

Traffic in Singapore: the city uses digital technology for road pricing to manage road congestion congestion (photo: Kua Chee Siong/ SPH/Newscom)..

In Rwanda, digitally-monitored drones deliver blood supplies to hospitals. In Estonia, it takes five minutes to file taxes and 99 percent of government services are available online. Singapore was the first city to implement electronic road pricing to manage congestion. The world is becoming digital, and reliable, timely, and accurate information is available at the push of a button. Governments are following suit, using digital tools for tax and expenditure policy, public financial management, and public service delivery. Continue reading “The Digital Gamble: New Technology Transforms Fiscal Policy” »

By IMFBlog| April 12th, 2018|Advanced Economies, Africa, Asia, capital markets, China, developing countries, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, Europe, Finance, Financial markets, financial policy, Financial regulation, Financing, Fiscal, Fiscal discipline, Fiscal policy, Fiscal Stimulus, Globalization, Government, IMF, India, infrastructure, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Japan, LICs, Low-income countries, monetary policy, Politics, Reform, Spring Meetings, taxation, technology, trade, U.S., Uncategorized|

For Home Prices in London, Check the Tokyo Listings

By Claudio Raddatz Kiefer and Jane Dokko

April, 10, 2018

Versions in عربي (Arabic); 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese)

Hong Kong viewed from Victoria Peak. House prices across countries and cities are increasingly moving in tandem (Photo: Fraser Hall/Robert Harding/Newscom).

If house prices are rising in Tokyo, are they also going up in London?

Increasingly, the answer is yes.

In recent decades, house prices around the world have shown a growing tendency to move in the same direction at the same time. What accounts for this phenomenon, and what are the implications for the world economy? These are questions that IMF economists explore in Chapter 3 of the latest Global Financial Stability Report. Continue reading “For Home Prices in London, Check the Tokyo Listings” »

Wanted: Policies to Encourage and Enable Work in Advanced Economies

By Francesco Grigoli, Zsóka Kóczán, and Petia Topalova

April 9, 2018

Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)

Aging may slow economic growth in advanced economies (photo: Zero Creatives Cultura/Newscom).

Population growth in advanced economies is slowing, life expectancy is rising, and the number of elderly people is soaring. Because older workers participate less in the labor market, the aging of the population could slow growth and, in many cases, threaten the sustainability of social security systems. But, as our research in Chapter 2 of the April 2018 World Economic Outlook shows, there is considerable scope for policies to mitigate the forces of aging by enabling those who are willing to work to do so. Continue reading “Wanted: Policies to Encourage and Enable Work in Advanced Economies” »

By IMFBlog| April 9th, 2018|Advanced Economies, aging, commodities, Economic outlook, Economic research, education, Employment, Global Governance, jobs, labor force, labor markets, productivity, Spring Meetings|

The Decline in Manufacturing Jobs: Not Necessarily a Cause for Concern

By Bertrand Gruss and Natalija Novta

April 9, 2018

Version in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)

Textile manufacturing plant in Recife, Brazil: in many countries, the share of manufacturing jobs is declining (photo: Ingram Publishing/Newscom).

Manufacturing jobs are waning. In many emerging market and developing economies, workers are shifting from agriculture to services, bypassing the manufacturing sector. In advanced economies, the rise in service sector employment typically reflects the outright disappearance of manufacturing jobs. Continue reading “The Decline in Manufacturing Jobs: Not Necessarily a Cause for Concern” »

By IMFBlog| April 9th, 2018|Advanced Economies, developing countries, Economic outlook, Emerging Markets, infrastructure, jobs, labor markets, productivity, Spring Meetings|

Globalization Helps Spread Knowledge and Technology Across Borders

By Aqib Aslam, Johannes Eugster, Giang Ho, Florence Jaumotte, Carolina Osorio-Buitron, and Roberto Piazza

April 9, 2018

Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian)

Using artificial intelligence at a hospital in Qingdao, China: the spread of knowledge and technology between countries has intensified (photo: Sipa Asia/Sipa USA/Newscom).

It took 1,000 years for the invention of paper to spread from China to Europe. Nowadays, in a world that has become more integrated, innovations spread faster and through many channels.

Our research in Chapter 4 of the April 2018 World Economic Outlook takes a closer look at how technology travels between countries. We find that the spread of knowledge and technology across borders has intensified because of globalization. In emerging markets, the transfer of technology has helped to boost innovation and productivity even in the recent period of weak global productivity growth. Continue reading “Globalization Helps Spread Knowledge and Technology Across Borders” »

By IMFBlog| April 9th, 2018|Advanced Economies, capital markets, commodities, Economic outlook, Emerging Markets, Globalization, inclusive growth, labor force, productivity, Spring Meetings, technology|

Banking On the Go

By IMFBlog

June 23, 2017

Tayo Oviosu at IMF lecture (photo: Ryan Rayburn/IMF staff)

Worldwide, more than two billion people are without bank accounts, and only one in three adults in sub-Saharan Africa has access to any type of financial services. In this podcast, Tayo Oviosu, founder and CEO of Nigeria's leading mobile payment platform, Paga, reveals how his company is rapidly bringing millions of unbanked Nigerians into the banking fold. Continue reading “Banking On the Go” »

By IMFBlog| June 23rd, 2017|Africa, banking, developing countries, Finance, Financial regulation, growth, International Monetary Fund, jobs, Low-income countries, Spring Meetings, technology|

Beheading the Hydra: How the IMF Fights Corruption

By Alistair Thomson

May 18, 2017

Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Русский (Russian), and Español (Spanish)

Corruption drains public resources and drags down economic growth in multiple ways (photo: dareknie/iStock by Getty Images)

Corruption—the abuse of public office for private gain—is a many-headed monster. It is pervasive in many countries, but only a fraction of cases make headlines; fewer are successfully prosecuted. Yet the cumulative burden is massive. By some estimates, bribery alone amounts to $1 trillion each year, and corruption more broadly to much more. While the precise figures are the subject of debate, the importance of the problem is not. Continue reading “Beheading the Hydra: How the IMF Fights Corruption” »

By IMFBlog| May 18th, 2017|Advanced Economies, capital markets, corruption, developing countries, Economic outlook, education, Emerging Markets, Global Governance, Government, growth, health, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Politics, Spring Meetings|

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