IMF Podcasts

When disaster strikes, the knee-jerk reaction is to seek public funds for support, but private donors have the agility that governments often don’t. And while capital flows to Africa slowed to a trickle during the pandemic, philanthropy and remittances held steady. Una Osili is the Associate Dean for Research and International Programs at Indiana University and holds the Efroymson Chair in Philanthropy. Osili believes Africa would benefit from more private donor funding and more African women to manage it. In this podcast, Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe asks Dr. Osili about her work and why there aren’t more women economists on the continent. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4bhCfvP

Conflict disrupts lives and economies everywhere, but recent IMF analytical work suggests the economic impact of conflict in the Middle East and Central Asia has proven larger and more persistent than in other regions. In this podcast, Ghassan Salamé (SciencesPo Paris), Mark Malloch-Brown (Open Society Foundations), and Rola Dashti (UNESCWA) discuss how the recent scourge of conflict and instability requires innovative thinking. The panel was held during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings and moderated by CNN International’s Julia Chatterley.

IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas discusses the steady but slow global economic outlook, emphasizing resilience and recovery. Topics include factors contributing to global economic growth, challenges in emerging markets, and the impact of geopolitical tensions on the economy. Insights into the collaborative process behind the World Economic Outlook report are also highlighted.

Sub-Saharan Africa is slowly emerging from four turbulent years with higher growth expected for nearly two thirds of countries in the region. But while inflation has almost halved and debt has broadly stabilized, economies are still grappling with financing shortages and impending debt repayments. Wenjie Chen is deputy head of the team that publishes the Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa. In this podcast, she says the surging global demand for critical minerals key to renewable energy systems could help the region overcome the ongoing funding squeeze.   Transcript: https://bit.ly/3WbU6iT  Read the full report at IMF.org

Fabio Natalucci and Jason Wu from the GFSR team discuss risks like debt, struggling real estate in China and the US, and cybersecurity in the face of decreasing inflation. They analyze challenges in managing inflation, stability of the global financial system, and emerging market resilience. The podcast also covers debt risks, fiscal concerns, and cybersecurity threats in the financial sector.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva discusses the global economic landscape, fiscal policies, climate transition, and trade dynamics in the 2020s. Topics include macroeconomic foundations, fiscal prudence, green and digital transitions, and the impact of geopolitical events on supply chains.

Even optimal economic policies create winners and losers, and that’s where politics steps in. Trade liberalization is an example of a policy that can make a country better off as a whole, but what happens to workers who lose out to cheaper goods? Jeffry Frieden says while politics is often messy, it’s how society puts a value on things economists can’t measure. Frieden is a Professor of Government at Harvard University. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4cU34qZ Read A Place for Politics at IMF.org/fandd

For decades, the standard labor market model has been ruled by supply and demand, but a younger generation of labor economists is questioning that approach. Suresh Naidu is a Professor of Economics and International Public Affairs at Columbia University. He says while the supply and demand model is not wrong, it only tells part of the story. In this podcast, Naidu and journalist Rhoda Metcalfe discuss why today’s labor market model sometimes fails to reflect the real world.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/4aHBqvz 

It wasn’t that long ago when retiring in one’s 50s was an achievable goal. But with life expectancy steadily rising and pension systems doomed to fall short, the prospects for an early retirement are fading fast. Olivia Mitchell wrote the book on retirement and modern pension research and has spent her career helping people improve their financial literacy. Mitchell is a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She sat down with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe to discuss the challenges of today’s economy for Americans planning their golden years. Transcript: https://bit.ly/49snKUp

Exploring Keynes' economic forecasts, the impact of technology on living standards, and the necessity of proactive measures amidst economic concerns. Emphasizing the crucial shift towards a new climate economy, circular economy, technological innovation, and the future of multilateralism. Kristalina Georgieva delivers a speech inspired by Keynes' lectures at King's College, Cambridge.