Do the Math: Include Women in Government Budgets
Every day, women around the world experience less opportunity than men in education and employment, and less political representation. […]
The Long-Term Impact of Brexit on the European Union
By Jiaqian Chen, Christian Ebeke, Li Lin, Haonan Qu, and Jesse Siminitz
August 10, 2018
Versions in Español, Français, Português
A container ship entering the Port of Marseille, France: The UK is among the European Union’s largest trading partners, accounting for about 13 percent of its trade in goods and services (photo: Gerard Bottino/Newscom)
When the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, higher barriers to trade, capital flows, and labor mobility will affect output and jobs not only in the UK but also in the remaining 27 EU member states. […]
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. […]
The Case for Fiscal Policy to Support Structural Reforms
By Angana Banerji, Era Dabla-Norris, Romain Duval, and Davide Furceri
Versions in 中文 (Chinese), Français (French),Deutsch (German), Русский (Russian), and Español (Spanish)
Many advanced countries need structural reforms to make their economies more productive and raise long-term living standards. Our new research shows that provided countries can afford it, fiscal policy, through spending or tax incentives, can help governments overcome some obstacles to the reforms, particularly in the early stages. […]
Sluggish Business Investment in the Euro Area: The Roles of Small and Medium Enterprises and Debt
By John C. Bluedorn and Christian Ebeke
Small businesses could be the lifeblood of Europe’s economy, but their size and high debt are two of the factors holding back the investment recovery in the euro area. The solution partly lies in policies to help firms grow and reduce debt.
Our new study, part of the IMF’s annual economic health check of the euro area, takes a novel bottom-up look at the problem. We analyze the drivers of investment using a large dataset of over six million observations in eight euro area countries, from 2003 to 2013: Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Finland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. […]
The Ties That Bond Us: What Demand For Government Debt Can Tell Us About the Risks Ahead
It has become apparent in recent years is that advanced economy government bond markets can also experience investor outflows, and associated runs.
Our new research shows that advanced economies’ exposure to refinancing risk and changes in government borrowing costs depend mainly on who is holding the bonds— the demand side for government debt.
Tracking who owns what, when and for how long can shed some light on potential risks in advanced economies’ government debt markets.
How to Get the Balance Right: Fiscal Policy At a Time of Crisis
The crisis has harmed growth, increased unemployment, and left a large number of people less protected. We are now seeing some signs of stabilization. Most countries are reducing their deficits and even if debt ratios are still rising, the return back to fiscal health has begun.