IMFBlog2019-11-06T14:17:47-05:00October 18, 2019|
By Davide Furceri, Jonathan D. Ostry, and Chris Papageorgiou
Economic reforms are often painful in the short term and hence unpopular, but does that mean reform-minded leaders always pay a price at the ballot box? […]
IMFBlog2019-03-14T12:32:58-04:00April 13, 2018|
By Xavier Debrun, Luc Eyraud, Andrew Hodge, Victor Lledo, Catherine Pattillo, Abdelhak Senhadji
April 13, 2018
Versions in Español (Spanish), Français (French), Português (Portuguese)
The national debt clock in New York City: a fiscal rule, like the debt ceiling, should not be set too low or too high. (photo: Frances M. Roberts/Newscom)
Rules to contain lavish government deficits are most effective if countries design them to be […]
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 […]
IMFBlog2019-03-15T12:07:06-04:00January 17, 2018|
January 17, 2018
Berlin, Germany: The bright economic outlook offers a chance for policymakers to address the country’s economic challenges (photo: iStock/Andrey Danilovich).
The economic outlook for Germany is bright. Optimism among investors abounds, and unemployment is at a record low. Policymakers now have a unique opportunity to address the challenges facing the German economy. These are varied but include boosting wages, investing in infrastructure, and […]
IMFBlog2019-03-14T16:19:20-04:00December 11, 2017|
By IMFBlog
December 11, 2017
Version in 中文 (Chinese), 日本語 (Japanese)
IMF research shows that resolving China’s zombie firms can boost productivity and long-term growth prospects (photo: DNY59/iStock by Getty Images).
China’s “zombies” are non-viable firms that are adding to the country’s rising corporate debt problem, and are bad business. Zombie firms are highly indebted and incur persistent losses, but continue to operate with the support of local governments […]
IMFBlog2019-03-15T13:24:03-04:00November 27, 2017|
By IMFBlog
November 27, 2017
Versions in 中文(Chinese); Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese)
Universal fuel and energy subsidies have been prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, but they have substantial drawbacks (photo: Reuters/Newscom).
Reforms in some mostly oil-exporting countries, along with lower international fuel prices since 2014, have reduced the size of fuel subsidies in sub-Saharan Africa, and they need to do more given the recent rise in international fuel […]
IMFBlog2017-04-14T01:45:00-04:00March 30, 2015|
By Era Dabla-Norris, Vikram Haksar, and Kalpana Kochhar
Global growth remains anemic more than five years after the global financial crisis. If nothing is done, the prospect of settling into a “new mediocre” will become reality, especially in advanced economies.
In many advanced economies, accommodative monetary policies, growth-friendly fiscal frameworks, and efforts to tackle private debt overhang and improve tax revenues and compliance are essential to lift economic growth in the short term.
IMFBlog2017-04-14T02:02:19-04:00April 16, 2014|
By: Sanjeev Gupta and Martine Guerguil
(Version in Español, Français, Русский, 中文, and 日本語)
The global financial crisis brought to the fore the question of sustainability of public finances. But it merely exacerbated a situation that was bound to attract attention sooner or later—governments all over the world have been spending more and more in recent decades. Here at the IMF, we’ve been looking into the factors behind this increase in public spending, particularly social spending, and […]
IMFBlog2017-04-14T02:10:14-04:00February 19, 2014|
By Subir Lall
(Version in Português)
Today the IMF released a report on Portugal’s progress under the country’s Economic Adjustment Program. What is the latest assessment?
A strong start
There is no doubt that Portugal has made remarkable progress over the past three years. When the sovereign lost access to international bond markets in 2011, the outlook was grim. The economy was facing large […]
IMFBlog2017-04-14T02:12:43-04:00January 6, 2014|
By Min Zhu
(Versions in عربي)
To almost all economists it is clear that the private sector is critically important in creating jobs and achieving strong growth. The public sector is already overburdened in most countries. But what is not clear is how to support the private sector for it to play this important role.
To shed some light on how to facilitate strong job creation and growth by the private sector in the Middle East and North Africa, we held a conference in Riyadh, […]
