IMF Podcasts

Productivity has been the driving force behind the five- sometimes six-day workweek, but there is a growing body of evidence that shows a shorter week is equally, if not more productive in many respects. Juliet Schor is a champion of the four-day week and led the charge in the early 90s with her book The Overworked American, which studies the pitfalls of choosing money over time. Schor is an economist and sociologist at Boston College and heads the research for global trials of companies instituting four-day workweeks. Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe spoke with Juliet Schor about her four-day week mission, as part of our special Women in Economics series. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3SHgPRR

Behind any good policy stands good data. And as the global economy becomes increasingly digitalized, effective policy and regulation are critical to ensure a stable and equitable financial system. Jim Tebrake is Deputy Director and heads the data and methodology efforts in the IMF Statistics Department. In this podcast, Tebrake says the world of digital money is changing quickly and statisticians should be prepared to provide the data that policymakers need to respond effectively. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Su8pgA Check out the latest IMF Statistical Forum at IMF.org

Stephanie Bell, Senior Research Scientist at the Partnership for AI, discusses the need for guidelines in AI development. Topics include economic inequality, democracy, labor conditions, and biases in AI. Bell emphasizes international collaboration and inclusion of lower and middle-income countries.

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work and for many it's scary. But for teachers in India's million-plus schools, AI is a welcome partner in solving the learning poverty problem. Shankar Maruwada is the Co-founder and CEO of EkStep Foundation, which develops AI to help improve the public education system. In this podcast, Maruwada and journalist Rhoda Metcalfe discuss how AI can close the literacy gap. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3RNAZJy Read Unlocking India's Potential With AI in a special AI edition of Finance and Development Magazine at IMF.org/fandd

AI's transformative impact on jobs and wages is discussed by IMF experts Andrew Berg and Maryam Vaziri. They explore the inequality problems caused by AI and the need for a fair distribution of its benefits. The podcast delves into the disruption of the labor market, concentration of power in AI corporations, and the challenges society faces in adapting to the rapid advancement of AI technology.

Daniel Susskind, an expert in AI and labor, discusses the impact of AI on professions like law and medicine, the challenges and opportunities of a world with less work, the role of labor leaders and unions in technology, and choosing a career path in the era of AI.

Examining challenges faced by countries in achieving climate goals, trade-offs between climate ambitions, fiscal sustainability, and political feasibility. Significance of carbon pricing as efficient instrument, revenue generation potential, and successful examples. Role of international forums in building global consensus on carbon pricing and progress made. Mention of Rafael Lam and Christine Richmond's work in IMF's fiscal affairs department and promotion of latest fiscal monitor publication and other IMF podcasts.

Carbon pricing is steadily emerging as one of the most viable solutions to reducing global emissions, but shedding its contentious past to build a global consensus is still a work in progress. Economist Ian Parry has championed the idea of carbon pricing long before it was fashionable- or even considered feasible by more than a handful of countries. Parry is the principal environmental fiscal policy expert in the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department and has made it his mission to present- on behalf of the institution, the benefits of incorporating climate risks into the cost of doing business through a carbon tax. Transcript: https://bit.ly/47jrAP7

Having access to nature can improve lives. Walking through the forest or by a lake occasionally is proven to have both physical and psychological benefits. But nature is a resource that is undervalued in our economies, and all too often left off the balance sheet. Catherine Kling says determining the true economic value of nature will help foster its preservation. Kling is an environmental economist at Cornell University in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management and has focused much of her career on creating the kind of data that encourages governments to include the value of nature in their economic decision-making. In this special episode of our Women in Economics series, Kling and Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe discuss why putting a price tag on nature will help save it. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3QHpRvZ

The world of money is changing fast and central banks are at the very center of that change. Shaktikanta Das is the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, which is responsible for regulating currency and securing monetary stability for the world's 5th largest economy. Das is also an innovator and a pioneer when it comes to Central Bank Digital Currencies or CBDCs. In this podcast, Das sits down with IMF Asia and Pacific Department head, Krishna Srinivasan, to discuss RBI's strategy for today and for the future. The conversation took place as part of the Governor Talks series held during the Annual Meetings in Marrakech. Watch the webcast at IMF.org