Fiscal Monitor | IMF Blog

Chart of the Week: Sharing the Fruits of Growth

At last week’s Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, economists and policymakers discussed ways to maintain the momentum of the global economic expansion—while also ensuring that the fruits of growth are shared more widely within their countries. Fiscal policy—government’s ability to tax and spend—has an important role to play.

The effectiveness of fiscal policy in mitigating inequality varies widely by country, as seen in our Chart of the Week. The chart shows the redistribution effect of fiscal policy before and after taxes, as measured by the change in the Gini coefficient. A Gini of zero expresses perfect equality, while a Gini of one expresses maximum inequality. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: Sharing the Fruits of Growth” »

By IMFBlog| April 24th, 2017|Caribbean, developing countries, Economic outlook, Economic research, education, Emerging Markets, Employment, Fiscal, Fiscal policy, Government, growth, health, IMF, inclusive growth, income, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, jobs, labor force, labor markets, Spring Meetings, taxation, U.S., unemployment|

Five Keys to a Smart Fiscal Policy

By Vitor Gaspar and Luc Eyraud

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

We live in a world of dramatic economic change. Rapid technological innovation has fundamentally reshaped the way we live and work. International trade and finance, migration, and worldwide communications have made countries more interconnected than ever, exposing workers to greater competition from abroad. While these changes have brought tremendous benefits, they have also led to a growing perception of uncertainty and insecurity, particularly in advanced economies.

Today’s conditions require new, more innovative solutions, which the IMF calls smart fiscal policies. By smart policies we mean policies that facilitate change, harness its growth potential, and protect people who are hurt by it. At the same time, excessive borrowing and record levels of public debt have limited the financial resources available to government. So, fiscal policy must do more with less. Fortunately, researchers and policy makers are realizing that the fiscal tool kit is broader and the tools more powerful than they thought. Five guiding principles sketch the contours of these smart fiscal policies, which are described in chapter one of the IMF’s April 2017 Fiscal Monitor. Continue reading “Five Keys to a Smart Fiscal Policy” »

By IMFBlog| April 19th, 2017|Advanced Economies, capital markets, developing countries, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, Financial markets, Fiscal policy, Global Governance, Globalization, growth, inclusive growth, Inequality, jobs, labor markets, monetary policy, productivity, technology, Uncategorized|

Chart of the Week: Seeking Solutions to Growing Inequality

By IMFblog

As finance ministers and central banks gather in Washington this week for the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank, income inequality will be among the topics of discussion.

While global economic integration has brought enormous benefits in the form of rising living standards, it has also contributed to widening inequality within some countries. In advanced economies, the incomes of the top 1 percent have grown three times faster than those of the rest of the population over the past three decades. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: Seeking Solutions to Growing Inequality” »

By IMFBlog| April 17th, 2017|Advanced Economies, capital markets, developing countries, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, Financial Crisis, inclusive growth, Inequality, labor markets, Uncategorized|

Act Now, Act Together

By Vitor Gaspar and Luc Eyraud

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

Public finances have had a rough year. A new reality is emerging. Against this backdrop, countries need to act now to boost growth and build resilience. They must also be prepared to act together to fend off global risks.

Continue reading “Act Now, Act Together” »

By IMFBlog| April 13th, 2016|Advanced Economies, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, Financial markets, Fiscal policy, growth, IMF, inflation, International Monetary Fund, oil|

Imagine What Fiscal Policy Could Do For Innovation

By Vitor Gaspar and Ruud De Mooij

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

Imagine how three-dimensional printing, driverless cars and artificial intelligence will change our future. Or think of how developments in information technology, e-commerce and the sharing economy are already changing the way we learn, work, shop, and travel. Innovation drives progress and, in economic terms, determines productivity growth. And productivity growth, in turn, determines prosperity. It impacts our lives and well-being in fundamental ways: it determines where and how long we live; it determines our quality of life. Continue reading “Imagine What Fiscal Policy Could Do For Innovation” »

By IMFBlog| March 31st, 2016|Fiscal, Fiscal policy, IMF, International Monetary Fund, technology|

How to Manage the Commodity Roller Coaster

by Vitor Gaspar

(Versions: عربي, 中文, Français, Русский, and Español)

The world economy is experiencing important transitions and associated uncertainties.

Commodity prices have fallen sharply, with adverse consequences for exporting countries.
China’s rebalancing and the prospect of U.S. interest rate increases are having important and costly spillover effects on other economies.
And these and other factors are posing important fiscal challenges, especially for emerging markets.

Continue reading “How to Manage the Commodity Roller Coaster” »

By IMFBlog| October 7th, 2015|Advanced Economies, Annual Meetings, Asia, Economic Crisis, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, Financial Crisis, Fiscal policy, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Latin America, Public debt|

Oil Prices and Public Finances: A Double-Edged Sword

By Benedict Clements and Marta Ruiz-Arranz

(Versions in 中文, Français, 日本語, Русский, عربي and Español)

Plunging oil prices have taken the public finances on an exciting ride the past six months. Oil prices have fallen about 45 percent since September (see April 2015 World Economic Outlook), putting a big dent in the revenues of oil exporters, while providing oil importers an unexpected windfall. How has the decline in oil prices affected the public finances, and how should oil importers and exporters adjust to this new state of affairs?

In the April 2015 Fiscal Monitor, we argue that the oil price decline provides a golden opportunity to initiate serious energy subsidy and taxation reforms that would lock in savings, improve the public finances and boost long-term economic growth.

Continue reading “Oil Prices and Public Finances: A Double-Edged Sword” »

By IMFBlog| April 15th, 2015|Annual Meetings, Economic Crisis, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, Finance, Financial Crisis, Fiscal policy, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Middle East, Reform, Uncategorized|

Measure to Measure: The Effect of Fiscal Policy on Growth and Stability

By Vitor Gaspar

Does fiscal policy respond systematically to economic activity? Can fiscal policy promote macroeconomic stability? Does greater stability support stronger growth? The answer is yes on all counts. This finding, while seemingly obvious, is now backed by numbers to match each question. The April 2015 Fiscal Monitor explores how.

Continue reading “Measure to Measure: The Effect of Fiscal Policy on Growth and Stability” »

By IMFBlog| April 15th, 2015|Advanced Economies, Economic Crisis, Economic outlook, Economic research, Employment, Finance, Financial Crisis, Fiscal, Fiscal policy, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Reform, Uncategorized|

Growth Dividend from Stabilizing Fiscal Policies

By Xavier Debrun

(Versions in عربي, 中文, Français, Русский, 日本語and Español)

Anyone can easily picture an economy where instability, stagnation and runaway government deficits converge into a perfect storm. Yet the simple mirror image of stability, growth, and balanced budgets currently seems odd to many. And with monetary policy looking breathless, some even wonder whether sacrificing fiscal sanity for short-term growth might not be worth a try.

In any economic debate, looking at the data is always a good starting point. And the latest issue of the Fiscal Monitor does exactly that. Our study looks at the experience with fiscal stabilization during the past three decades in a broad sample of 85 advanced, emerging market, and developing economies. The message is loud and clear: governments can use fiscal policy to smooth fluctuations in economic activity, and this can lead to higher medium-term growth. This essentially means governments need to save in good times so that they can use the budget to stabilize output in bad times. In advanced economies, making fiscal policies more stabilizing could cut output volatility by about 15 percent, with a growth dividend of about 0.3 percentage point annually.

Continue reading “Growth Dividend from Stabilizing Fiscal Policies” »

By IMFBlog| April 8th, 2015|Annual Meetings, Economic Crisis, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, Financial Crisis, Fiscal policy, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Public debt, Reform, Uncategorized|

Fiscal Policy And Structural Reform

By Vitor Gaspar

One of the big questions to emerge from the global financial crisis, especially in the euro area, is how to raise a country’s potential growth while restoring healthy public finances. For example, the euro area— despite some favorable news recently — faces marked-down growth prospects alongside high levels of public debt. The combination of high debt and tepid potential growth underscores the importance of improving prospects for sustained growth and safe and resilient public finances. A fundamental question then arises: what is the relation between fiscal consolidation and structural reform?

Continue reading “Fiscal Policy And Structural Reform” »

By IMFBlog| March 27th, 2015|Advanced Economies, Economic Crisis, Economic outlook, Economic research, Employment, Europe, Financial Crisis, Fiscal policy, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Public debt, Reform, Uncategorized|

Load More Posts

Categories