

IMF Podcasts
IMF Podcasts
Listen to the World's top economists discuss their research and deconstruct global economic trends.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 3, 2023 • 21min
China: Reopening, Rebound, and Challenges
China’s severe covid lockdowns since the start of the pandemic undoubtedly contributed to an economic downturn last year not seen in decades. And while China has lifted the containment measures and is reopening, the factors behind that slowdown, like its ailing property sector, low productivity growth, and the lingering COVID threat, could weigh on its economic performance this year if left unaddressed. In this podcast, IMF economists Sonali Jain-Chandra and Thomas Helbling walk us through China’s latest economic review, a deep analysis of China’s economy that includes outlooks, risk assessments, and policy recommendations. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3HpduA8 Read the full report at IMF.org

5 snips
Jan 26, 2023 • 33min
Resilience and Sustainability Trust: New Tool for a Changing World
The IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) helps low-income and vulnerable middle-income countries build resilience to external shocks and ensure sustainable growth, contributing to their longer-term balance of payments stability. It complements the IMF’s existing lending toolkit by providing longer-term, affordable financing to address longer-term challenges, including climate change and pandemic preparedness. In this podcast, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva discusses the RST with Prime Minister Mia Motley of Barbados, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation. The discussion is moderated by Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation. Watch the webcast at IMF.org

Jan 19, 2023 • 23min
Tobias Adrian: Cross-Border Payments for the 21st Century
Most countries have infrastructure and governance structures that allow the private sector to take advantage of new technologies to innovate and improve payment and financial services. But at the international level, it’s a different story. Cross-border payments are as slow, expensive, and risky as ever. IMF Financial Counsellor, Tobias Adrian, and coauthors published some new research on creating a Multi-Currency Exchange and Contracting Platform that would effectively transform the cross-border payment system. In this podcast, Adrian says payments are the foundation for the entire monetary and financial system, and new technologies can help get global payments right. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3D1RKJ7 Read the research at IMF.org

Jan 12, 2023 • 35min
Michael Kremer on Innovation
Innovation is often associated with developments in information and communication technologies, but for economists, innovation is also about developing new business models and new ways for governments to deliver public services like health and education. Michael Kremer is a professor of economics at the University of Chicago and the founder of the Development Innovation Lab. His work on poverty reduction with colleagues Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee won them the Nobel Prize in economics in 2019. In the early 2000s, Kremer helped develop the design of Advance Market Commitment models used to incentivize the private sector to work on issues of relevance for the developing world. Michael Kremer was invited to deliver the IMF Richard Goode Lecture, an annual event to discuss policy issues and debates. In his talk, Kremer says commercial incentives for innovation are not always aligned with social needs, which results in underinvestment in some types of innovation and creates a role for public investment. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3ka1daT

Jan 5, 2023 • 24min
Women in Economics: Betsey Stevenson on Work-Life Balance
We often think about the economy as being driven by how productive we are on the job, but the pandemic made it clear that our personal lives and our work lives are in fact deeply linked. Betsey Stevenson is a labor economist who studies how families are shaped by their economic situations and the decisions that policymakers make. Stevenson is a professor at the University of Michigan and a former economic advisor to the Obama administration. Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe spoke with Betsey Stevenson about her research into the powerful connections between our work and home life for the IMF series on extraordinary Women in Economics. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3X7ihML

Dec 8, 2022 • 16min
David Cutler on Cities After the Pandemic
More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and it’s expected that almost 70 percent will live in urban areas by 2050. People are attracted to cities for the economic and social opportunities they offer. But if the COVID pandemic taught us anything, it’s that population density presents significant health risks. David Cutler is a Professor of Economics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and the Chan School of Public Health. Cutler and his Harvard colleague Edward Glaeser write about Cities After the Pandemic in the December issue of Finance and Development. In this podcast, David Cutler discusses the article with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe. He says cities now need to put more emphasis on public health to keep economies healthy. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3UHR6X6 Read at IMF.org/FandD

Dec 1, 2022 • 17min
Ted Nordhaus on the Nuclear Resurgence
After decades of being shrouded in suspicion and controversy, nuclear energy is emerging as a viable clean alternative to oil and gas. The war in Ukraine has turned post-pandemic energy shortages into a full-blown energy crisis and nuclear power plants across Europe that were destined to close will continue to operate. Ted Nordhaus is the Executive Director of the Breakthrough Institute, which looks for technological solutions to environmental problems. Nordhaus and coauthor Juzel Lloyd published an article titled The Nuclear Resurgence, in the December edition of Finance and Development. In this podcast. Nordhaus discusses the benefits of nuclear energy with Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Uq4yim Read The Nuclear Resurgence at IMF.org/FandD

Nov 30, 2022 • 19min
Justin Wolfers on the Social Contract
Events of the last three years have made life difficult on many levels for millions of people around the world. And while expecting more support from social and financial institutions during hard times is nothing new, the recent rise in prices has left people angry and questioning the efficacy of the social contract between the government and its citizenry. Justin Wolfers is a Professor of Economics and Social Policy at the University of Michigan. In this podcast, he says there has never been a better time to reinvent- for the first time in decades perhaps centuries, the institutions that foster social cohesion. Transcript: http://bit.ly/3XKUNy7

Nov 25, 2022 • 23min
Women in Economics: Seema Jayachandran: Change Attitudes Change Lives
Economic progress improves lives, but it can also clash with some of the bigger development problems we face, like gender equality and the environment. Seema Jayachandran believes striking that balance is key to making economic development work for everyone. Jayachandran’s research has helped change gender attitudes in India’s schools, and conserve climate-critical forests in Uganda. Seema Jayachandran is a Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University and serves on the board of directors of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. In this podcast, Jayachandran talks about her work with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe as part of a special IMF series on extraordinary Women in Economics. Transcript: http://bit.ly/3tW9Wz4

Nov 17, 2022 • 19min
Philip Lane on the Nature of Europe’s Double-Digit Inflation
Inflation is high virtually everywhere, but what’s pushing prices to record levels in Europe is not necessarily what’s fueling inflation in the United States. The European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve share a common problem and similar financial tools to fight it, but Europe’s supply-dominated inflation and America’s mostly demand-dominated inflation require slightly different approaches. Philip Lane is Chief Economist for the European Central Bank. In this podcast, he says finding the “sweet spot” between fiscal and monetary policies will allow for continued support to vulnerable Europeans hard hit by high energy prices and double-digit inflation, while not further straining public finances. Transcript: http://bit.ly/3X55sU2 Philip Lane participated in the IMF’s Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference. Watch the Webcast at IMF.org