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Inequality: Tools from the Old Masters to Help Today’s Policymakers

By Vitor Gaspar, Paolo Mauro, and Tigran Poghosyan

October 3, 2017

Unemployed day laborers in South Africa: the country has relatively high income, but also high inequality (photo: Rogan Ward/Newscom).

With inequality rising in many countries, policymakers need to choose the best fiscal policies that will help share the benefits of economic growth, and in so doing, make it more inclusive.

The early 20th century English economist Arthur Pigou, among others, saw economic welfare as influenced by both “the size of the national dividend” and “the way in which it is distributed among the members of the community.” Continue reading “Inequality: Tools from the Old Masters to Help Today’s Policymakers” »

By | October 3rd, 2017|Economic outlook, Economic research, education, Fiscal policy, Global Governance, Globalization, Government, IMF, inclusive growth, income, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, poverty, U.S.|
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Chart of the Week: Banking on Women—A Case for More

By IMFBlog

September 19, 2017

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

Worldwide, women hold less than 20 percent of board seats of banks and banking supervision agencies. More women on bank boards may have a positive effect on bank stability (photo: istocksdaily/iStock by Getty Images)

The “glass ceiling” in finance has barely cracked. Compared to the available talent pool, there is still a large gap between the representation of men and women in leadership positions in banks and bank supervision agencies worldwide.

A recent IMF staff paper provides a comprehensive dataset on banking sector characteristics and performance, as well as on the share of women on the boards of directors and banking supervision agency boards, covering 72 countries over 13 years. Continue reading “Chart of the Week: Banking on Women—A Case for More” »

By | September 19th, 2017|Advanced Economies, banking, developing countries, Economic research, Employment, Gender issues, Inequality, International Monetary Fund|
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A Firming Recovery

By Maurice Obstfeld

July 24, 2017

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

(photo: IMF)

The recovery in global growth that we projected in April is on a firmer footing; there is now no question mark over the world economy’s gain in momentum.

As in our April forecast, the World Economic Outlook Update projects  3.5 percent growth in global output for this year and 3.6 percent for next.

The distribution of this growth around the world has changed, however: compared with last April’s projection, some economies are up but others are down, offsetting those improvements. Continue reading “A Firming Recovery” »

By | July 23rd, 2017|banking, capital flows, China, climate change, developing countries, Economic outlook, Emerging Markets, Employment, Environment, Europe, Financial markets, Fiscal, Fiscal policy, Globalization, growth, IMF, income, Inequality, inflation, Investment, Japan, jobs, labor force, labor markets, Low-income countries, Public debt, trade, Uncategorized, unemployment, wages|
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IMF Support for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

By Stefania Fabrizio, Roland Kpodar, and Chris Lane

July 19, 2017

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

Schoolchildren in line in Mali: Reducing the large gap between men’s and women’s education in some low-income states is one of the 2030 goals which IMF advice can address (photo: Stringer/Reuters/Newscom)

Since the adoption of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, we at the IMF have supported countries to reach their goals through policy advice, training, and financial support. Results will accrue over time, and we already see some notable progress. Continue reading “IMF Support for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals” »

By | July 19th, 2017|climate change, developing countries, Economic outlook, Economic research, education, Emerging Markets, Employment, Environment, Finance, Gender issues, Government, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, jobs, labor force, Low-income countries, Middle East, Reform, South America, Uncategorized, unemployment, wages|
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Corrosive and Costly Corruption

By IMFblog

July 14, 2017 

Corruption can hurt growth and ruin people’s economic chances (photo: Eugene Keebler/iStock)

Corruption can lead to pervasive distrust in government, generating violence, civil strife, and conflict. And the results are devastating for people.

Another problem is that corruption is costly—particularly for those who are already worse off. IMF research shows that in countries with greater levels of corruption, infant mortality and dropout rates are especially high, partly due to less spending on health and education. Reduced investment in these areas tends to hurt poor people the most, and contributes to higher inequality. Continue reading “Corrosive and Costly Corruption” »

By | July 14th, 2017|corruption, Economic research, Fiscal policy, Government, growth, inclusive growth, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Politics, productivity, Public debt, taxation|
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Chart of the Week: Budget-friendly, Equitable Growth in France

By IMFBlog

May 15, 2017

Version in Français (French)

One need look no further than the national motto—liberté, égalité, fraternité—to understand that equality is an especially important concept in France. French policies play an important role in combating inequality. This is primarily achieved through a combination of minimum wage policies and an extensive tax and transfer system.

But these traditional equality-enhancing policies may have reached their limits as unemployment has become entrenched and budgets have been severely stretched. So, what are the best policies for a country weighing how to boost growth, lessen inequality, and minimize costs? It is not a zero sum game.

Continue reading “Chart of the Week: Budget-friendly, Equitable Growth in France” »

By | May 15th, 2017|Economic research, Employment, Europe, Government, IMF, Inequality, Public debt, taxation|
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A New Twist in the Link Between Inequality and Economic Development

By Francesco Grigoli

May 11, 2017

Version in  عربي (Arabic),  Español (Spanish)

Much has been written about the relationship between inequality and economic development, but theory remains inconclusive. When income is more concentrated in the hands of a few individuals, this can lead to less demand by the general population and lower investment in education and health, impairing long-term growth. At the same time, a certain level of inequality endows the rich with the means to start businesses, and creates incentives to increase productivity and investment, promoting economic activity. But the initial inequality levels also matter to explain why an increase in inequality varies in its impact on economic development across countries.

Continue reading “A New Twist in the Link Between Inequality and Economic Development” »

By | May 11th, 2017|capital flows, developing countries, Economic research, education, Employment, Financial markets, Gender issues, growth, inclusive growth, income, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, labor force, Uncategorized|
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The Economics of Trust

By IMFBlog

May 10, 2017

Trust in other people—the glue that holds society together—is increasingly in short supply in the United States and Europe, and inequality may be the culprit.

In surveys over the past 40 years, the share of Americans who say that most people can be trusted has fallen to 33 percent from about 50 percent. The erosion of trust coincides with widening disparities in incomes. Continue reading “The Economics of Trust” »

By | May 10th, 2017|Advanced Economies, capital flows, capital markets, Economic research, Europe, inclusive growth, Inequality, jobs, labor markets, Politics, U.S., wages|
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Maintaining the Positive Momentum of the Global Economy

Lagarde.2015MDPORTRAIT4_114x128By Christine Lagarde

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

Baden-Baden, the German spa town built on ancient thermal springs, is a fitting venue to discuss the health of the global economy during this week’s meeting of the Group of Twenty finance ministers and central bank governors.

Policymakers will likely share a sense of growing optimism, because the recent strengthening of activity suggests that the world economy may finally snap out of its multi-year convalescence.  Continue reading “Maintaining the Positive Momentum of the Global Economy” »

By | March 14th, 2017|Advanced Economies, G-20, growth, IMF, Investment, jobs, U.S., Uncategorized|
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