IMF Podcasts

As the trend towards increasing inequality continues, most attention is focused at the extremes: those who are paid at the top of the pay scale, and others who only manage to scrape by. But a former IMF Chief Economist says we should really be worried about "the missing middle."

How to find the best tortillas while traveling in Mexico? Why is American food so bad today? Is agribusiness good for the global economy? Prolific author, blogger and economist Tyler Cowen takes on these questions--and many more--in his new book, "An Economist Gets Lunch", reviewed in June's F&D; magazine.

La Côte d'Ivoire vient de se voir accorder un allégement de dette de plus de sept milliards de dollars. Cela représente plus de 60 % de la dette extérieure du pays et ouvre des perspectives plus viables pour celui-ci.

Côte d'Ivoire has been granted over seven billion dollars in debt relief. This represents more than 60 percent of the country's external debt, and will help create a more sustainable future.

In California, a prisoner can pay to upgrade his cell, women are paid to carry a pregnancy, businesses pay to advertise on people's bodies. Is this moral? Sandal believes we need to prevent market values from reaching spheres of life where they don't belong.

Martin Wolf, columnist for the Financial Times and contributor to the Occupy Handbook, explains the challenges to reforming the economic system.

From the jammed streets of Beijing, China, to the conflicts in the Mideast and on Capital Hill, the quest to secure energy supplies has shaped global politics and economics, says one of the world's leading energy experts.

Pourquoi certains pays sont-ils riches et d'autres, pauvres? Pour James Robinson, la richesse d'un pays est liée avant tout à la mesure dans laquelle le citoyen moyen a la possibilité de bénéficier de la croissance économique globale du pays. Mais, précise-t-il, il y a toujours des minorités soucieuses d'accaparer le pouvoir et la richesse.

Why are some countries rich and others poor? James Robinson argues that the wealth of a country is most closely tied to how far the average person is able to share in its overall economic growth. But he warns that there is always a tendency for a small minority to try and concentrate power and wealth in its hands.

Over the past decade, oil prices have increased fourfold, reaching levels only seen in the 1970's. But the global economy has been resilient in the face of these spikes. Jorg Decressin of the IMF research department explains.