health care – Page 2

Chart of the Week: Inequality, Your Health, and Fiscal Policy

IMFBlog2019-03-15T11:06:05-04:00February 5, 2018|

By Mercedes García-Escribano, Baoping Shang, and Emmanouil (Manos) Kitsios

February 5, 2018

Catania Sicily, Italy. Men with a lower level of education live shorter lives, on average, than their better educated fellow citizens (photo: Jann Huizenga/Getty Images/IStock).

The gap in life expectancy between rich and poor people is a worldwide phenomenon, and has grown dramatically in recent years in some countries.

In our Chart of the Week, we show how this longevity gap, which reflects inequality in access to health care and its impact on peoples’ overall health, varies across countries. Men with a lower level of education live shorter lives, on average, than their better educated fellow citizens: this gap ranges from four years in Italy, to 14 years in Hungary, according to the October 2017 Fiscal Monitor. […]

Global Cooperation—An Uphill Battle: Finance & Development magazine

IMFBlog2019-03-15T16:33:15-04:00August 30, 2017|

By Camilla Lund Andersen

August 30, 2017

As access to information burgeons, experts are more crucial than ever.

This issue of F&D looks at what is arguably the clearest challenge the world faces: how to address complex global problems amid growing skepticism about the benefits of multilateralism and continued global integration.

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Invest in Africa

IMFBlog2019-03-26T09:54:06-04:00March 17, 2017|

by IMFBlog

As the Group of Twenty finance ministers and central bank governors meet in Germany this week, policymakers are looking to increase investment in Africa.

Jamie Drummond is co-founder of ONE Campaign, and in this podcast he says it’s no surprise Africa is on the agenda. […]

Public Spending on Health Care under IMF-Supported Programs

IMFBlog2019-03-26T11:19:38-04:00March 9, 2017|

By Sanjeev Gupta and Baoping Shang

Versions in Français (French)

Government policies matter when it comes to public health. And when a country’s economy is suffering a severe economic crisis, the decisions become even more critical. Over the past few decades, protecting social programs and spending on health has been a cornerstone of the IMF’s support for countries.

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Why Productivity Growth is Faltering in Aging Europe and Japan

IMFBlog2019-03-26T14:15:25-04:00December 9, 2016|

By iMFdirect

Many countries are experiencing a combination of declining birth rates and increasing longevity. In other words, their populations are aging. And graying populations pose serious issues for people, policymakers, and society. […]

Sub-Saharan Africa Growth Lowest in 20 Years

IMFBlog2019-03-26T15:29:27-04:00October 26, 2016|

by iMFdirect

The IMF’s latest regional economic outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa shows growth at its lowest level in more than 20 years. In this podcast, the African Department’s new Director, Abebe Aemro Selassie, says it’s a mixed story of struggling oil-exporters and strong performers.

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Africa Pausing

IMFBlog2019-03-27T09:06:13-04:00May 31, 2016|

By Jeff Hayden

Strong performance by many African economies over the past two decades led some commentators to coin the term “Africa Rising” to describe the region’s surging economic power.

The term graced the cover of TIME magazine in December 2012, in an issue that chronicled the region’s decades-long journey from economic anemia to impressive vigor. Beginning in the mid-1990s, many—but certainly not all—countries in sub-Saharan Africa energized their economies, achieving in recent years some of the world’s highest growth. Living standards improved as a result, as did health care and other key services, inspiring hope for a bright future.

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Migration: A Global Issue in Need of a Global Solution

IMFBlog2019-03-27T14:15:13-04:00November 11, 2015|

By Christine Lagarde

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

As the Group of Twenty leaders gather in Turkey this weekend, they will have on their minds heartbreaking images of displaced people fleeing countries gripped by armed conflict and economic distress. The surge of refugees in the last few years has reached levels not seen in decades. And these numbers could increase further in the near future.

The immediate priority must be to help the refugees—who bear the heaviest burden, and too often tragically—with better access to shelter, health care and quality education.

Many of the countries neighboring conflict zones—which have welcomed most of the refugees—have stretched their capacity to absorb people to the limit. To support additional public services for refugees, they will require more financial resources. The international community must play its part. With the IMF’s support, for example, Jordan has been able to adjust its fiscal targets to help meet this need.

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Shrinking Populations, Rising Fiscal Challenges

IMFBlog2019-03-27T14:27:01-04:00October 27, 2015|

By Benedict Clements, Kamil Dybczak, and Mauricio Soto

(Versions in 中文 and 日本語)

Populations are getting older around the world—that’s no surprise in light of declining fertility and improvements in health care. But in many countries, something more dramatic is going on—the population is actually shrinking. These demographic developments portend stark fiscal challenges. What should countries—whatever their degree of economic development—do to respond to these challenges?

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Growth’s Secret Weapon: The Poor and the Middle Class

IMFBlog2019-03-27T16:01:01-04:00June 15, 2015|

By Era Dabla-Norris, Kalpana Kochhar, and Evridiki Tsounta

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

The gap between the rich and the poor is at its widest in decades in advanced countries, and inequality is also rising in major emerging markets (Chart 1). It is becoming increasingly clear that these developments have profound economic implications.

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