Not Yet on Track: Climate Threat Demands More Ambitious Global Action
New IMF analysis shows gaps in ambition and policy needed to achieve emissions curbs that contain global warming.
A Hobbled Recovery Along Entrenched Fault Lines
The global recovery continues amid increasing uncertainty, more complex policy trade-offs.
Fiscal Policies for the Recovery from COVID-19
Vitor Gaspar, W. Raphael Lam, and Mehdi Raissi
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
Fiscal policies have provided large emergency lifelines to people and firms during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are also invaluable to increase a country’s readiness to respond to a crisis and to help with the recovery and beyond. […]
A New Social Contract
November 30, 2018
(photo: Michael Waraksa)
As the world seeks to address the rise of populism and nationalism, it is becoming clear that economic insecurity lies at the heart of much of the discontent. […]
Chart of the Week: Inequality in China
September 20, 2018
A gardener outside a luxury auto showroom in Beijing. China has moved from being moderately unequal in 1990 to being one of the world’s most unequal countries (photo: Stephen Shaver/UPI/Newscom)
More than two decades of spectacular economic growth in China have raised incomes dramatically and lifted millions of people out of poverty. […]
Women in Finance: An Economic Case for Gender Equality
By Martin Čihák and Ratna Sahay
September 19, 2018
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
A group of women attend an event in Sao Paolo to promote women’s participation in the financial sector: women account for 51% of borrowers in Brazil (Sebastio Mareira/Newscom)
Women are underrepresented at all levels of the global financial system, from depositors and borrowers to bank board members and regulators. […]
Ending Harassment Helps #TheEconomyToo
By Christine Lagarde, Corinne Deléchat, and Monique Newiak
March 5, 2018
Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese)
Women who live in countries with stronger protection against harassment, including at work, are more likely to open a bank account, borrow and save, and use financial services such as mobile payments (iStock by Getty Images).
This International Women’s Day is bringing new calls to #pressforprogress on gender parity. Giving women and girls the opportunity to succeed is not only the right thing to do—it can also transform societies and economies.
Unlocking this transformative potential means pushing for more equal opportunities: for example, equality in legal rights for men and women, and equality in access to education, health, and finance. Just as important is the fundamental issue of ensuring a safe environment for all, including protection against harassment. […]
Game-Changers and Whistle-Blowers: Taxing Wealth
By James Brumby and Michael Keen
February 13, 2018
Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Русский (Russian)
New Delhi, India: there are now very few effective explicit wealth taxes in either developing or advanced economies (photo: Jens Kalaene/Corbis).
High and rising income inequality is a serious concern in many countries, as highlighted in the IMF’s recent Fiscal Monitor. Wealth, however, is distributed even more unequally than income, as in the picture below. […]
More People, More Technology, More Jobs: How to Build Inclusive Growth
By Stefania Fabrizio and Andrea F. Presbitero
December 4, 2017
Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文(Chinese), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Русский (Russian)
Pretoria, South Africa: technicians work inside a new locomotive (photo: Zhai Jianlan Xinhua News Agency/Newscom).
Population growth and technological innovation don’t necessarily have to widen inequality in developing countries. They can also offer new opportunities to increase growth and create jobs: the long-term outcomes depend on today’s policy choices. But those choices are not easy because policies for sustained and inclusive growth may conflict with short-term needs. We look at the trade-offs and how to balance short- and long-term goals for sustainable and inclusive growth. […]