Cooperation Critical to Reducing Divergent Paths to Recovery in Middle East and Central Asia
By Jihad Azour
The road to recovery for the Middle East and Central Asia region will hinge on containment measures, access to and distribution of vaccines, the scope of policies to support growth, and measures to mitigate economic scarring from the pandemic. […]
Migration to Advanced Economies Can Raise Growth
By Philipp Engler, Margaux MacDonald, Roberto Piazza, and Galen Sher
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
Migration has been the focus of intense political debate in recent years. While most people have positive perceptions about immigrants, there are misconceptions and concerns. […]
COVID-19 Pandemic and the Middle East and Central Asia: Region Facing Dual Shock
This blog is part of a series providing regional analysis on the effects of the coronavirus.
By Jihad Azour
عربي, Español, Français, Português, Русский
The impact of COVID-19 and the oil price plunge in the Middle East and the Caucasus and Central Asia has been substantial and could intensify. With three-quarters of the countries reporting at least one confirmed case of COVID-19 and some facing a major outbreak, the coronavirus pandemic has become the largest near-term challenge to the region. […]
Ensuring the Benefits of Capital Flows in the Middle East
By Jihad Azour and Ling Zhu
Since the global financial crisis of 2008, emerging market economies have experienced a surge in capital flows in response to significant monetary easing by major central banks. Gross capital inflows to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have remained high compared to other emerging markets, but their composition has changed significantly, with a surge in portfolio flows (equity and bond instruments) and a decline in foreign direct investment. […]
How To Reignite Growth in Emerging Market and Developing Economies
By Romain Duval and Davide Furceri
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
Emerging markets and developing economies have enjoyed good growth over the past two decades. […]
chart of the weekMobile Money Spreads to Asia
By Esha Chhabra and Bidisha Das
Thanks to mobile money, any person with a basic phone can now make cash transfers, pay bills, and send money to family members abroad without having a bank account. […]
Sluggish Global Growth Calls for Supportive Policies
Chart of the WeekYoung and Disconnected from Work
By IMFBlog
Young people face tough labor markets and job shortages in countries all over the world. For example, about 20 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds in the average emerging market and developing economy are neither in work nor in school—this group includes countries such as Brazil, Ghana, and Malaysia, among others. […]