The new World Economic Outlook anticipates a slight acceleration in growth this year, from 3.1 to 3.2 percent, followed by 3.5 percent growth in 2017. But IMF Chief Economist Maurice Obstfeld says projections continue to be progressively less optimistic over time.

 Contributors:

Maurice Obstfeld, IMF Chief Economic Counselor

While many economists would argue public investment projects in highly efficient countries have a greater impact on growth, recent research by some IMF economists shows that’s not necessarily the case. In this podcast we speak with the IMF’s Andy Berg, who suggests the impact on growth from public investment spending is similar in both high and low-efficiency countries.

 Contributors:

Andy Berg, a Deputy Director in the IMF’s Institute for Capacity Development

Dans son dernier bilan, le FMI signale que l’économie gabonaise a été durement touchée par la chute des cours du pétrole. Dans ce podcast, nous nous entretenons avec Montfort Mlachila, chef de mission du FMI pour le Gabon. Il souligne que le pays peut accroître sa résilience et redynamiser la croissance en diversifiant son économie.

Montfort Mlachila, Chef de mission du FMI pour le Gabon.

The IMF’s most recent review of Gabon’s economy shows it’s been hit hard by the oil price decline. In this podcast, we speak with IMF Mission Chief for Gabon, Montfort Mlachila, who says the country can build resilience and revive growth by diversifying its economy.

Contributors:

Montfort Mlachila, IMF Mission Chief for Gabon

While it was widely expected that globalization would reduce inequality, income disparities between skilled and unskilled workers has only increased in recent years. In this podcast we ask Nobel Laureate Eric Maskin, why the global markets haven’t offered better economic opportunities for the world’s poorest. 

Contributors:

Eric Maskin, Professor at Harvard University, and 2007 Nobel Laureate.

On this International Woman’s Day, we speak with Nigerian economist Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Best known for her two terms as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and for her work as a Managing Director at the World Bank, Dr. Okonjo Iweala is always looking for ways to help bridge the gender gap.

Contributors:

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,

More than a million migrants have entered Europe this year according to the International Organization for Migration. In this podcast, we speak with Professor Barry Chiswick who says language acquisition is key to immigrant success. Chiswick says language skills among immigrants are a form of human capital, and can substantially increase potential earnings.

 

Contributors: 

Barry Chiswick, Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University

While many economies around the world should benefit from a growing US economy, a strong US dollar is seldom good news for emerging markets. In this podcast, we talk to IMF Senior Economist Nicolas Magud, coauthor of an article entitled Collateral Damage, published in the December 2015 issue of Finance and Development magazine.

The fabled mountain Kingdom of Lesotho achieved strong growth in recent years, but the IMF’s latest economic review shows growth rates have dropped. In this podcast, IMF mission chief for Lesotho, David Dunn, says slower growth in neighboring South Africa has significantly reduced Lesotho’s government revenues.

Ghana is considered one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, and until recently it was a model for economic growth. But since 2012, the economy has taken a turn for the worse, and Ghana is now getting help from the IMF. In this podcast, IMF Mission Chief, Joël Toujas-Bernaté talks about the country’s economic challenges.

The IMF released an update to its World Economic Outlook published in October 2015. The WEO Update, projects global growth to be slightly lower than last fall’s forecast, at 3.4 percent this year, and 3.6 percent in 2017. IMF Chief economist Maurice Obstfeld, launched the new report at a press conference in London.

As the world’s metropolises expand to accommodate more people, the earth’s supply of sand is being pushed to the limit. Deceptively abundant, the basic raw material for glass and concrete can’t keep up with demand. In this podcast, Pascal Peduzzi, of the United Nations Environmental Programme, talks about how our overdependence on sand is unsustainable.

The confluence of globalization and increased travel security has given rise to a flourishing industry, where residency and citizenship can be acquired by those with means. In this podcast we speak with the IMF’s Judith Gold and Ahmed El-Ashram, who coauthored an article entitled “A Passport of Convenience”, published in the December 2015 issue of Finance and Development.

Many more people with HIV are now surviving for longer, thanks to new antiretroviral drug treatments. But their governments must now come up with a way to pay for their ongoing treatment. But the price is putting many countries in sub-Saharan Africa at risk of unsustainable levels of debt. By Sir Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy in the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Africa’s strong growth in recent years has helped improve its institutions and policies, spurring more foreign direct investment from countries like China. In this podcast, David Dollar, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, says while China is important to the increasing foreign investment in Africa, its role is far from dominant. Dollar is coauthor of “Investment Renaissance”, published in the December 2015 issue of Finance and Development magazine.

World leaders will meet in Paris in December to forge a new climate deal that caps global warming at 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial revolution levels. But in this podcast, Nick Stern, Professor of Economics and Government at the London School of Economics, says the world is not yet on the two degree path as carbon emissions continue to rise. Stern is author of “The Low-Carbon Road” in the December issue of Finance & Development magazine.

Climate change has been at the forefront of discussions within the development community, as world leaders prepare to present their plans to reduce carbon emissions at the United Nations summit on climate change in December. In this podcast, the IMF’s Gita Bhatt talks to Christiana Figueres, head of the United Nations framework convention on climate change.

From global financial crises to cybercrime, globalization has its downsides. The director of the Oxford Martin School discusses the pitfalls of the global community’s ever closer union, and offers some possible remedies to its darker side.

L’Afrique subsaharienne subit les effets de la baisse des cours des produits de base. Le dernier rapport du FMI sur les Perspectives économiques régionales prévoit que les taux de croissance de la région descendront à leur plus bas niveau depuis six ans. Dans ce Podcast, Céline Allard, co-auteur du rapport, dit que certains pays ont très peu d’épargne à leur disposition pour faire face à cet ajustement.

Economic activity has weakened markedly in sub-Saharan Africa, and the strong growth momentum of recent years has dissipated in several countries. The IMF’s latest Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa puts growth at 3¾ percent this year, lower than in 2009 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. In this podcast, co-author Céline Allard, says low commodity prices, and tighter financing are key factors.

S’il est un pays qui démontre combien il est difficile de transformer les richesses minérales en croissance inclusive, c’est bien la République démocratique du Congo. Selon la dernière évaluation annuelle de l’économie congolaise réalisée par le FMI, les taux de croissance en 2014 atteignaient jusqu’à 9,2 %, mais les indices de pauvreté de la RDC restent parmi les plus élevés au monde. Dans ce podcast, Norbert Toé, Chef de mission pour la RDC, discute les points essentiels du rapport.

If there's one country that exemplifies the difficulty in transforming mineral wealth into inclusive growth- it's the Democratic Republic of Congo. The IMF's latest annual economic assessment indicates while growth rates for 2014 were as high as 9.2 percent, poverty rates in the DRC are still among the highest in the world. In this podcast, Norbert Toé, IMF mission chief for the DRC discusses the key findings in the report.

In development circles, governance is often a code word for corruption. But Daniel Kaufmann, president of the Natural Resource Governance Institute, says governance is much broader. In this podcast, Kaufmann talks about how good governance can actually triple a country's per capita income.

The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) shows global growth at 3.1 percent this year, down from 3.4 percent in 2014. The report says while outlooks vary from country to country, the new WEO forecasts predict slower near-term growth nearly across the board, with increasing downside risks to the world economy as commodity prices continue to fall.

Cuba has been out of bounds for American tourists for more than 50 years. But with the US recently restoring diplomatic relations, some say it’s just a matter of time before the floodgate opens to a whole generation of baby boomers wanting to experience some of Hemmingway’s favorite watering holes. In this podcast the IMF’s Nicole Laframboise talks about how the thaw in relations between the US and Cuba could shake up the Caribbean tourism industry.