IMF Podcasts

As inflation and interest rates continue to decline and the likelihood of a recession slowly fades, financial markets have seen big equity gains. But the latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) warns of several factors that could upend the recovery, including the apparent disconnect between market buoyancy and heightened uncertainty, especially related to geopolitical risks. Jason Wu and Nassira Abbas lead the IMF’s work on financial stability. In this podcast, they say while the near-term risks appear contained, medium-term prospects remain a concern.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/48cGMyV

Read the full report at IMF.org/GFSR

While 21st-century globalization and international trade dramatically changed how multinational corporations operate, the way they are taxed is largely based on early 20th-century thinking. Recent efforts by the OECD and the UN to modernize the international corporate tax system include a minimum corporate tax to make it more equitable. The IMF has also joined the effort by providing its expertise on global tax policy. Senior counsel Cory Hillier and senior economist Shafik Hebous are coauthors of recent research that seeks to strengthen the impact of a corporate minimum tax. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/47YwFhb

Stories can unify or divide but our ability to imagine them is uniquely human. Cooperation and trust, built through shared stories and narratives, are the foundation of human societies and economies. So what happens when humans no longer hold the pen? Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and author of several books on human evolution, including Sapiens, and Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. In this podcast, Harari says artificial intelligence is a risk to humankind's most valuable resource, trust.  

Transcript: https://bit.ly/4dvy3Jb

Find his books at ynHarari.com 

With all the instability within the Middle East and North Africa region of late, Egypt has nonetheless managed to reign in soaring inflation and win its largest-ever foreign investment. Egypt’s efforts to restore macroeconomic stability in recent years have led to an arrangement under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility for Egypt, which makes available US$820 million to help support its reform agenda. Ivanna Vladkova Hollar leads the IMF’s work in Egypt. In this podcast, she says that while stabilizing its economy is positive, Egypt’s next big step is an economic transformation that will lift its private sector.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/4efXuzH

Learn more about the IMF’s work in Egypt at IMF.org/Egypt

Working from home was not an option for most people before March 11, 2020, when work and home life suddenly collided. The pandemic upended many aspects of doing business, but the daily commute is one routine that seems unlikely to return to what it was. Nicholas Bloom was studying the potential impact of remote work long before the pandemic launched it into the mainstream and now has data to suggest businesses should stick to the hybrid working model. Bloom is the William D. Eberle Professor of Economics at Stanford University. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Xbxfmz

Read the article in Finance and Development: IMF.org/fandd

The world has changed since postwar economic thought placed GDP growth as its guiding principle. 20th-century progress has pushed planetary resources to the limit and brings the sustainability of traditional macroeconomic models into question. In this podcast, Kate Raworth talks with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about her alternative model Doughnut Economics, which places economic objectives within the social and ecological boundaries of the living planet. Raworth is an ecological economist and the author of Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/475TLBW

For many emerging market economies, moving from an export-oriented strategy with labor-intensive manufacturing to a more sophisticated production process was key to their development. But the world is quickly changing, and Raghuram Rajan says India need not follow that same path. In their new book, Breaking the Mold, the former Reserve Bank of India governor and co-author Rohit Lamba argue that India has lost its labor cost advantage and must focus on developing its human capital. In this podcast, IMF Asia and Pacific Department Head Krishna Srinivasan and Raghuram Rajan discuss how India might leverage its growing workforce and pivot from “brawn to brain”.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3yt3iX2

Read Krishna Srinivasan’s book review in September’s Finance and Development: IMF.org/fandd

For decades, governments have been tapping into global sovereign debt markets to smooth ups and downs in revenue with the hope that it would help spur investment. But what happens when government borrowing fails to deliver, and the citizens are left paying the bill? Mark Aguiar says emerging market and developing economies are especially vulnerable to interest rate spikes when debt levels are high. Aguiar is the Director of the International Economics Section at Princeton University, and his research suggests that sovereign borrowing to stabilize the economy may have the opposite effect.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3yHY3T8

Read the article at IMF.org/fandd

 The world is changing so quickly it’s hard to think of one aspect of our economic lives that hasn’t shifted from what it was only a few years ago. Trade is no exception. New technologies, the re-emergence of industrial policy, and rising geopolitical tensions are all putting added pressure on the international trading system. Michele Ruta is a trade expert at the IMF. He says global cooperation is key to preventing economic fragmentation, from which no one benefits.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/4fuz7zo

Check out the global trade webpage at IMF.org/en/Topics/Trade

Aging populations in many advanced and emerging market economies mean shrinking workforces, weighing on growth. However, the opposite is true in low-income countries where populations are growing, and the expanding workforce may lack the skills for the job market. How can these two scenarios offset each other? Lisa Kolovich says women hold the key. Kolovich is an economist in the IMF Inclusion and Gender Unit, which has published a study that shows that supporting women’s health and education isn’t only the right thing to do but helps build critical human capital. In this podcast, Kolovich says gender equality can serve as a stabilizing factor to rebalance demographic trends. 

Transcript : https://bit.ly/4bFhZ6y

Nigeria’s new administration has set out on an ambitious reform path to stabilize its currency, regain market confidence, and tame inflation. In this podcast, Governor Olayemi Cardoso and IMF Africa Department head, Abebe Aemro Selassie discuss the role of Nigeria’s central bank in restoring macroeconomic stability. The conversation took place as part of the Governor Talks series held during the IMF-Word Bank Spring Meetings.

Economic growth is often seen as the core ingredient to social development, but it’s a relatively new idea. So what did pre-growth society look like and how much growth can modern society sustain? In his latest book, Daniel Susskind argues that economic policy should consider the costs of growth more carefully and realign the drivers to better fit with the challenges of our time. Susskind is a research professor at King's College London and a senior research associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University. In this podcast, he says growth doesn’t come from the tangible world of things but from the intangible world of ideas.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/3yY83aK

Central banks worldwide share common practices in how they operate, but the UK’s central bank is unique in how it makes its rate decisions. Catherine Mann is a Professor of the Practice at Brandeis University and one of four external voting members of the Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England. In this podcast, Mann says the pickup in capital flows in neighboring countries earlier this year required careful consideration by the BOE, and the broader range of backgrounds on its board helped to make the right monetary policy decisions. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3RaurnK

It’s no mystery where the IMF was born but its origin story might surprise you. While the spotlight was on the charismatic British economist John Maynard Keynes during the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference, a little-known American economist was working in the shadows. Harry Dexter White’s plan would lead to the creation of the IMF and forever change the world economy. In this podcast, IMF historian and author, James Boughton speaks with Rhoda Metcalfe about how Harry White made history without making a splash.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/456YgLB

Read the article in Finance and Development: IMF.org/fandd

James Boughton is also the author of Harry Dexter White and the American Creed

While African countries have little to do with what’s causing the climate crisis, they are feeling the brunt of the extreme weather patterns and left footing a climate-mitigation bill they can’t afford. Michael Olabisi is an assistant professor at Michigan State University and studies sustainable development in low-income countries. In this podcast, Olabisi says climate change is a global challenge and it’s high time the world's advanced economies start treating it as such.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/4ay37X7

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.

The World Economic Outlook is more than projected growth rates. The research behind those projections tells the story of how 190 countries, slowly but steadily, found their way through the fog of the past few years to emerge a testament to the resilience of the global economy. Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas is IMF Chief Economist and brings together the multitude of analytics, data and insight that provide the signposts. In this podcast, Gourinchas says while the fears of a global recession have not materialized, the path ahead is not without obstacles. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4b5O6x6

 Read the full report at IMF.org

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

As inflation slowly subsides and optimism pervades financial markets, the latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) warns of potential setbacks. Fabio Natalucci and Jason Wu head the GFSR team. In this podcast, they discuss risks associated with debt and the private credit market, struggling real estate sectors in China and the US, cybersecurity, and a host of other risks to the much anticipated soft landing.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/4axvy8z

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva kicks off the 2024 IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings from the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, with her customary curtain raiser speech. Go to IMF.org to follow the Spring Meetings and find all the IMF flagship reports, including the World Economic Outlook, the Global Financial Stability Report, and the Fiscal Monitor.

Webcast and transcript: https://bit.ly/4aRkmDg

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

John Maynard Keynes was one of the most influential economists of the 20th century and the father of modern macroeconomics. His novel lectures at King’s College, Cambridge, inspired economists and policymakers of the time and continues to do so a hundred years later. In this podcast, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva delivers a speech inspired by one of Keynes’ lectures to a young audience at the very same King’s College.

Transcript and webcast: https://bit.ly/3Tv4lfi

Economists build models based on basic assumptions of human behavior. But people are complicated, right? Do Germans who grew up on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall make the same financial decisions today? Ulrike Malmendier is a behavioral economist whose innovative research has shown that experiential learning rewires the brain to make decisions based on past experiences. In this podcast, Malmendier and Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe discuss how behavioral economics is helping to build better economic models.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3x3sWjZ

 Read New Lessons from Behavioral Economics at IMF.org/fandd

Countless resources and billions of dollars have been directed at poverty alleviation over the decades and yet almost 10 percent of the world’s population is still struggling to survive... not only in developing countries but in rich countries too. Why do so many anti-poverty efforts fall short? Martin Kalisa says there is more to poverty than income, and poor people can help design projects that are more likely to succeed. Kalisa is the Deputy Director of ATD Fourth World, an anti-poverty organization that builds research teams that include poor people to better understand their needs. Kalisa took part in a conference on the Hidden Dimensions of Poverty hosted by the World Bank and the IMF.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/4a3Hcra

Industrial policy had its heyday in the 1950s and 60s when governments moved to boost national competitiveness amid burgeoning global trade. Economists have been predicting the return of industrial policy of late- and there’s no question it’s back, but what does today’s industrial policy look like? Michele Ruta is a trade expert at the IMF, and along with some colleagues compiled a new dataset that shows the extent to which new industrial policies are being used and what their real impact might be on the global economy.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/49LjmQW

Check out the IMF’s global trade webpage: IMF.org/en/Topics/Trade

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

Artificial intelligence has the power to transform society in so many ways, but only a small number of companies in an even smaller number of countries hold the keys to AI’s development. So what happens when a narrow swath of humanity makes choices that will impact everyone else? Stephanie Bell is a Senior Research Scientist at the Partnership for AI and led the creation of the Guidelines for Shared Prosperity. In this podcast, Bell says guidelines are needed to ensure AI’s development trajectory serves humanity.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3tFhdGY

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

The pace at which artificial intelligence is transforming jobs is astounding, but while it boasts higher productivity AI is also increasing wage inequality. When workers are replaced by machines, real wages decline, and the owners of capital prosper. So who owns AI and how should its benefits be distributed? In this podcast, the IMFs Andrew Berg and Maryam Vaziri discuss AI’s inequality problem, the subject of their article in December’s special AI edition of Finance and Development magazine. Berg is Deputy Director, and Vaziri is an economist, both in the IMF Institute for Capacity Development. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3NdgRxR

There’s no question that Artificial Intelligence will increase productivity- but at what cost? What happens when systems out-perform not only factory workers but society’s most esteemed professions? Daniel Susskind has written two thought-provoking books on how AI is changing the nature of work and what tomorrow’s labor market will look like. Susskind is a research professor at King's College London and a senior research associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University. In this podcast, Susskind speaks with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about how encouraging technologies that complement rather than substitute human work would place fewer livelihoods at risk.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3T146Kj

Global warming is wreaking havoc on so many levels, but climate action is costly and presents policymakers with difficult tradeoffs. High debt, rising interest rates, and weaker growth prospects make public finances harder to balance and climate goals harder to achieve. This is where fiscal policy and climate mitigation meet and why the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department is trying to help countries manage their limited resources. Economists Christine Richmond and Raphael Lam work on climate policy and the annual publications of the IMF Fiscal Monitor. In this podcast, they say governments now face a policy trilemma between achieving climate goals, fiscal sustainability, and political feasibility.  

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3sT6JmP

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

Navigating an economy through multiple crises is not for the faint-hearted. Policy responses must be quick- often with little to go on, and decisions have lasting effects. Nigel Clarke has been Jamaica’s Minister of Finance since 2018 and led its economy through the pandemic as well as devastating natural disasters caused by climate change. In this podcast, Clarke sits down with IMF Western Hemisphere Department head, Rodrigo Valdés, to discuss Jamaica’s strong track record of investing in institutions and prioritizing macroeconomic stability. The conversation took place as part of the IMF’s Governor Talks series held during the Annual Meetings in Marrakech.

Watch the Webcast at IMF.org

With the years of access to cheap money behind them and the effects of climate change and geopolitical tensions only getting worse, what does resilience look like for emerging market economies? This year’s Per Jacobbson lecture brings together three influential thinkers to discuss how countries can work towards economic resilience in an era of greater uncertainty. The talk features Lesetja Kganyago, Governor of the Reserve Bank of South Africa, Masood Ahmed, President of the Center for Global Development, and is moderated by Guillermo Ortiz, former Governor of the Bank of Mexico.

Millions of families around the world- even some countries, rely on workers living abroad to keep their economies afloat. In fact, global remittances reached a record $647 billion in 2022—three times that of official development assistance. Dilip Ratha is lead economist for migration and remittances at the World Bank. In this podcast, journalist Rhoda Metcalfe asks Ratha about his own experiences growing up in rural India and how they led him to become a leading voice on the power of remittances to reduce global poverty. Ratha says remittances are timely, large, stable, and best of all, they are countercyclical.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3QlDhyU

Read Resilient Remittances at IMF.org/fandd

Most economies have shown resilience through the steepest series of rate hikes in decades. But inflation remains stubbornly high in some countries, which is proving a challenge for global monetary policy going forward. The latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) examines all the worrying trends including the corporate world’s dwindling cash buffers and the risk of underinvesting in climate mitigation. Fabio Natalucci heads the GFSR. In this podcast, he says risks to the world economy remain high.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Q8LjLn

Read the full report at IMF.org/GFSR

International cooperation is weakening. The bridges that connect countries are corroding as trade and investment barriers are rising, and Africa stands to suffer the biggest economic losses from severe fragmentation. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva kicked off the 2023 Annual Meetings in Marrakech with her customary curtain raiser speech from Cote d’Ivoire. It’s the first time since 1973 that the Annual Meetings are held in Africa and Georgieva says it’s an opportunity to pave the way to the next 50 years.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3LRsJoC

Go to IMF.org to follow the Annual Meetings and find all the IMF flagship reports, including the World Economic Outlook, the Global Financial Stability Report, and the Fiscal Monitor.

A functioning economy provides people with access to credit, insurance, and, among other things, investment opportunities. But what happens in poor communities where they are landless and have no wealth? Eliana La Ferrara says the social structure within those communities offers the collateral they need to make the economy work. La Ferrara is a Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and an award-winning economist whose work has helped us understand how the economics of the poor are deeply interwoven into the social fabric and norms of their communities. Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe sat down with La Ferrara to discuss her work in Africa, and how she came to focus on development issues that are often overlooked. The interview is part of the IMF series on extraordinary Women in Economics.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3ZwnH6k

Credit cards that offer rewards like travel discounts seem a good idea, but rewards cards can be costly for anyone who keeps a running balance. So should there be rules around who gets one? IMF economist Andrea Presbitero is coauthor of a study that looks at the distributional impact of rewards cards. In this podcast, Presbitero says while the high interest rates and penalties associated with these cards can widen wealth inequality, limiting access is not the answer. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3r5fzwY

Abdellatif Jouahri est le gouverneur de Banque Al-Maghrib depuis 2003 et l'homme derrière les grandes réformes qui ont fait du Maroc l'une des économies les plus importantes de la région du Moyen-Orient et de l'Afrique du Nord (MENA). Dans cet épisode, Jouahri s'entretient avec Taline Koranchelian, directrice adjointe du Département Moyen-Orient et Asie centrale du FMI pour évoquer sa longue et éminente carrière. Leur conversation a eu lieu à la veille des Assemblées Annuelles 2023 qui se tiendront au Maroc en octobre.

The dramatic opening up of markets to international trade over the past 30 years has been a boon to many developing economies but it has not benefitted everyone. Nina Pavcnik grew up in Yugoslavia and witnessed firsthand the effects of open markets on the lives of people across the border. Pavcnik is now Professor of Economics and International Studies at Dartmouth College and has become an authority on how international trade affects the poor. In this podcast, Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe sits down with Pavcnik to talk about her research as part of our series on extraordinary Women in Economics.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3YFlMMg

While import prices account for much of Europe’s inflation, its outlook largely depends on how companies absorb wage gains as higher prices erode workers’ purchasing power. IMF economist Frederik Toscani studies inflation and monetary policy in the Euro Area and is coauthor of a new paper that breaks inflation down into labor costs, import costs, taxes, and profits. In this podcast, Toscani says corporate profits account for 45 percent of price rises since the start of 2022. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/454o3Tk

Nigeria’s eNaira was the first Central Bank Digital Currency in Africa and only the second in the world when it launched in October 2021, but a growing number of countries across the globe are now planning to follow suit with their own CBDCs. What can they learn from Nigeria’s experience? Jookyung Ree is an economist in the IMF African Department and assigned to Nigeria when the CBDC was introduced. Ree has since studied its impact on the economy and found that existing mobile money networks are proving a challenge to the eNaira’s adoptability. In this podcast, Ree says the eNaira will need to complement mobile money systems to convince more Nigerians to use it.  

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Qb2FI5

Since their inception in 2008, the contentious rise of crypto assets has been dramatic. Their market value has been as high as $3 trillion and about $50 million is transacted in crypto every day. But what does this brave new world of cryptographically-protected distributed ledgers mean for traditional tax systems? Ruud De Mooij is Deputy Director of the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department and heads its work on taxation. In this podcast, De Mooij says finding ways to tax crypto will mean significant revenue gains for governments and lead to a fairer global tax system. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3O1Hwyt

Read the blog and IMF.org/blogs

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States unleashed its largest investment in climate and energy ever. But it also left many countries questioning some of its protectionist provisions, accusing the US of bending, if not breaking international trade rules under the WTO. So how do we move forward on climate without going backward on trade? Noah Kaufman says international trade rules need to be redesigned if protectionism is not to become an unintended consequence of green industrial policy. Kaufman is a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy and served in the Biden Administration’s Council of Economic Advisors. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3CwHIiw

The history of economics has largely been written by men about men. Even when the economics of family became a burgeoning field of study in the 1970s, the woman’s role was hardly talked about. Claudia Goldin is a pioneer in the field of gender economics and her latest book Career and Family places women squarely at the center of the family economics story. Goldin is the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University and an economic historian. Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe sat down with Claudia Goldin to discuss her work and how she came to write the definitive book on gender economics Understanding the Gender Gap. The interview is part of the IMF series on extraordinary Women in Economics.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3oYUEdO

As rising geopolitical tensions chip away at globalization, will a more fragmented world mean stronger regional pacts? Economist Michele Ruta says regionalism in a time of conflict is unlikely to triumph, but rather is likely to change. The trend toward strengthening ties with friends and loosening them with non-friends is making regional trade less about integration and more about discrimination.    Transcript: https://bit.ly/3MHNbIc

Like so many countries across the Middle East and North Africa, Morocco faced successive shocks over the past three years including a devastating drought. But the country managed well thanks to an aggressive reform agenda. In this podcast, Morocco’s Finance Minister Nadia Fettah, and IMF Regional Director Jihad Azour, discuss how Morocco is keeping reforms on track despite the challenging circumstances, and what lessons other countries in the region might learn from Morocco’s experience. Their conversation was part of the Governor Talks series hosted by the IMF during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings, and a preamble to the Annual Meetings to be held in Marrakesh this fall.

Watch the webcast at IMF.org

Industrial policy refers to a set of policies that governments use to bolster national industries or companies deemed strategically important for economic competitiveness, social outcomes, or national security. The approach has been used in many countries to create global giants like Huawei, General Electric, Volkswagen, and Airbus to name a few. Economist Ruchir Agarwal is currently studying industrial policy, among other things, at the Yale School of Management and Harvard Kennedy School. In this podcast, Agarwal says while the practice of choosing national champions fell out of favor in the 1980s, rising geopolitical tensions of late have sparked a renewed interest in industrial policy, which can be a guise for protectionism.  

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3oxgswS

Agricultural productivity in Africa has lagged behind for decades, and now climate change is making things worse. But for Hamza Rkha Chaham, the prospect of helping African farmers increase crop yields prompted him to launch a startup that is transforming lives. Chaham was only 27 years old in 2018 when he co-founded SOWIT, a company that uses processed satellite imagery to provide farmers with invaluable data to optimize decisions related to irrigation and fertilization. In this podcast, he says startups in Africa can be challenging on many levels, but the rewards far outweigh the risks. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3NZcRSG

The Democratic Republic of the Congo faces many challenges to its development, but the country’s natural wealth has the potential to lift more people out of poverty and help the world make the transition to renewable energy.  In this podcast, IMF African Department head Abebe Aemro Selassie sits down with DRC’s Minister of Finance, Nicolas Kazadi to discuss the country’s pivotal role in the fight for climate preservation and sustainable development. Their conversation took place as part of the Governor Talks series hosted by the IMF during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.

Economists often share a common understanding of the world based on their training and what they’ve learned from other like-minded professionals. In this podcast, author and Financial Times journalist, Gillian Tett says anthropology offers insights into public policy challenges and helps economists better understand socioeconomic problems.  IMF Deputy Secretary, Sabina Bhatia, sits down with Gillian Tett to discuss her recent book Anthro-Vision, a New Way to See in Business and in Life. The conversation took place before a live audience during the IMF and World Bank Group Spring Meetings.

Watch the webcast at IMF.org.

Financial stability never comes easy, but the past few months have been especially challenging with persistently high inflation and two bank failures in the United States that exposed vulnerabilities lurking beneath the surface. The latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) examines all the worrying trends including the potential economic impact of rising geopolitical tensions. Fabio Natalucci heads the GFSR. In this podcast, he says while regulatory changes put in place after the Global Financial Crisis have made the financial system more resilient, recent events may be a harbinger of more systemic stress to come.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/41zCPQv

Read the full report at IMF.org/GFSR

Financial stability is not only about managing inflation, employment rates and spending, it’s about understanding how those factors affect people in different places and in all kinds of circumstances. In this podcast, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, discusses how strategic partnerships between humanitarians and economists will help support the millions of forcefully displaced people in the world and provide a firmer footing for an economic recovery. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Mnnq13

As global economic uncertainty surges, Sub-Saharan Africa faces a host of challenges that will require effective policy responses if it is to regain the ground it lost during the pandemic. But what does it take to design and implement successful policy reforms? In this podcast, IMF African Department head Abebe Aemro Selassie and Georgetown University’s Ken Opalo discuss why some reforms work and others do not. This conversation is part of a series of talks hosted by the IMF African Department called Africa Perspectives.

Watch the webcast: www.imf.org/en/News/Seminars/Conferences/2022/06/10/africa-speaker-series#

The last few months have witnessed tensions in Europe's housing markets as the cost-of-living crisis has eroded real incomes and the surge in interest rates has made borrowers more vulnerable to financial distress. Laura Valderrama is a macro-financial expert and coauthor of new research that suggests house prices across Europe are overvalued, and housing markets are at risk of a price correction that could undermine the region's economic recovery.  

Transcript: https://bit.ly/42Dm33U

Read the research paper at: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP  

While the currency values of today’s economic powerhouses help maintain global financial stability, the currency systems in the 19th century were tied to precious metals and France played the stabilizing role. In the early 1800s, most countries tied their currencies to silver or gold, but Napoleon tied the French franc to both, which sparked the era of global bimetallism. IMF economist Johannes Wiegand has studied bimetallism, and in this podcast, he says this almost-forgotten 19th-century episode shows that international cooperation is essential for a stable global monetary system. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/41CunjU

Read the article at IMF.org/fandd

The longtime critics of globalization are having another moment, claiming supply chain shortages, high inflation, and increasing migration are products of an overly globalized world. But history suggests more globalization- not less, can help counter those disruptions in the global economy. Harold James is a professor of history and international relations at Princeton University and an IMF historian. In this podcast, James says globalization offers an antidote to inflationary pressures. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3m5mB1J

Look for In Defense of Globalization in the March issue of Finance and Development: IMF.org/fandd

Alan S. Blinder, former Fed vice chair and one of the world’s most influential economists has had a front-row seat to the changes in central banking over the past several decades. Blinder is also a former member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, and in his latest book, A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961-2021, he recounts the conflicts and collaborations in fiscal and monetary policy that have shaped the United States economy. Blinder was invited to the IMF Research Department to discuss his book.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3xtYUTq

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

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

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

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

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 

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

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

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

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

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

Economic outlooks don’t come easy in the current environment but the latest Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa proved to be particularly challenging. Its title Living on the Edge tells part of the story but in this podcast, economist Wenjie Chen walks us through the research behind the new report. Chen is a deputy head in the Regional Studies Division and part of the team of macroeconomists who dissect regional trends to come up with key priorities for policymakers.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3U6lUBy

Read the report at IMF.org

Cryptocurrencies have grabbed news headlines with their dramatic highs and lows, and their proponents argue they could revolutionize the financial system, making it faster and fairer. But is the cryptocurrency craze dragging us all into dangerous waters? Hilary Allen is a professor of law at American University and studies the impact of new financial technologies on financial stability. Allen is also the author of The Superficial Allure of Crypto published in the September edition of Finance and Development. In this podcast, Allen sits down with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe to discuss the risks associated with cryptocurrencies and why she thinks that they simply cannot deliver their claimed benefits. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3eJTuOh

Read The Superficial Allure of Crypto at IMF.org/FandD

Amid growing calls to deglobalize the economy, Raghuram Rajan says not so fast. Rajan, a former Governor of the Bank of India and former IMF Chief Economist, delivered this year's Per Jacobsson Lecture, in which he argues that continued globalization is our best chance to tackle climate change.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3EVhCIC

Watch the webcast of the Per Jacobsson Lecture at IMF.org

Rising risks to the inflation outlook and rapidly changing views about the likely pace of monetary policy tightening have been dominant themes affecting financial stability. The latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) says the Russian invasion of Ukraine has also exerted a material drag on the global recovery from the pandemic and increased financial vulnerabilities. Fabio Natalucci heads the GFSR and Global Financial Markets Monitoring. In this podcast, he says with inflation now at a multi-decade high and tightening financial conditions, it will take time for investors and policymakers to adjust to the new world.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Ml5h21

Read the full report at IMF.org/GFSR

Read the blog at blogs.imf.org

With shock upon shock hitting the world economy in the last three years, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva's customary opening speech to the Annual Meetings warned of a darker global outlook and emphasized the need for the world to come together to deal with the consequences. The speech was delivered to an audience of students at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and presided over by Dean Joel S. Hellman and Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3MgciB9

How can multilateral institutions like the IMF help close the gender gap? IMF Senior Advisor on Gender, Dr. Ratna Sahay joins Jason Mitchell, Head of Responsible Investment Research at Man Group, on their A Sustainable Future podcast to talk about how gender disparities hurt economic growth. Dr. Sahay has been a gender equality pioneer over the years- helping to break down barriers within her own institution. She now heads the IMF's first strategy toward mainstreaming gender into its core work. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3dNaCm1

Go to  man.com/ri-podcast  to see more episodes of A Sustainable Future with Jason Mitchell.

The Michel Camdessus Central Banking Lecture is an annual event honoring the IMF's longest-serving Managing Director. This year's lecture was presented by François Villeroy de Galhau, Governor of the Banque De France, and introduced by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. In his lecture, Governor de Galhau says today's multiple crises are challenging public trust in central banks.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/3Sna8Bx

Go to IMF.org to watch the webcast of the entire event including a post-lecture discussion.

While consumers' expectations of where prices are going are something that economists have been tracking for a long time, understanding how those expectations are formed provides valuable insight toward controlling inflation. New research by economists Carlo Pizzinelli (IMF), Peter Andre (Briq Institute), Christopher Roth (University of Cologne), and Johannes Wohlfart (University of Copenhagen) shows a surprising divide between what experts think and consumers believe drives inflation and other economic trends. Carlo Pizzinelli is the author of an article in the latest Finance and Development based on the study. In this podcast, Pizzinelli sits down with Journalist Rhoda Metcalfe to discuss how the collective consumer mind influences economic policy. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3RMPYAv

Read the study: https://bit.ly/3RrXmlb

Welcome to the 5th and final episode of Fintech Forward, the IMF podcast that focuses on financial technology. Hosted by IMF economist Tara Iyer, the special 5-part series draws from the expertise of the IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM) to better understand the impact of emerging technologies on financial systems and local economies around the world. In this podcast, MCM's May Khamis talks about how the IMF's Financial Stability Assessment Programs, which started in the early 2000s, are adapting to the rapid rise of FinTech. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3wJ9HZM

Sanctions are not new, but they deliver bigger global shocks and are easier to avoid than at any time in history. Nicholas Mulder's latest book, The Economic Weapon, the Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War, looks at sanctions regimes of the past to better understand the implications of today's sweeping sanctions against Russia. In this podcast, Mulder says we need to think more carefully about crafting macroeconomic policy at a global level to offset the negative effects that the sanctions are having on third countries.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/3wBUZnq

Read Nick Mulder's article in Finance and Development at IMF.org/fandd

Welcome to episode 4 of Fintech Forward, the IMF podcast that focuses on financial technology. Hosted by IMF economist Tara Iyer, the special 5-part series draws from the expertise of the IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM) to better understand the impact of emerging technologies on financial systems and local economies around the world. In this podcast, MCM's Aditya Narain and Marina Moretti say regulation of financial technology aims to protect consumers and markets, not stifle innovation.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/3wkEMCY

Economic growth depends on several factors, but a new study (forthcoming) by Eric Hanushek and Ludger Woessmann shows nothing is more important for development than equitable education. Hanushek is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and in this podcast, he says skill differences account for three-quarters of cross-country variations in long-term growth. Hanushek also says the global skills deficit is immense, with two-thirds or more of the world’s youth never reaching even basic skill levels. Hanushek and Woessmann are coauthors of The Basic Skills Gap published in Finance and Development where they say reaching the goal of global universal basic skills would raise future world GDP by $700 trillion over the remainder of the century.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3AqSxCE

Read the article at IMF.org/fandd

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Live simply so that others may simply live.” In this podcast, we hear from an economist who believes there is more to poverty reduction than just money. Sabina Alkire began her long career helping the poor doing volunteer work alongside the likes of Mother Teresa- then studying theology before turning to economics. Today, Alkire heads the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and is one of the creators of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which the United Nations uses to identify and help the most vulnerable people in the world. Journalist, Rhoda Metcalfe spoke with Sabina Alkire to discuss her work for our special series on extraordinary Women in Economics. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3bWv56W

Welcome to episode 3 of Fintech Forward, the IMF podcast that focuses on financial technology. Hosted by IMF economist Tara Iyer, this special 5-part series draws from the expertise of the IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM) to better understand the impact of emerging technologies on financial systems and local economies around the world. In this podcast, Fabio Natalucci, Head of the Global Financial Stability Report, discusses the growing correlation between crypto and equity markets and what that means for financial stability. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3zJn2lO

Inflation has pushed up prices for almost everything, but rising food prices could mean life or death for people in countries already struggling with conflict, economic downturns, and the effects of climate change. Maximo Torero Cullen is Chief Economist for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, which tracks global food security. In this podcast, Torero says wheat and fertilizer supply shortages have driven up prices and increased food import bills for the most vulnerable countries by more than 25 billion dollars, putting 1.7 billion people at risk of going hungry. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3vlHUht

Welcome to episode 2 of Fintech Forward, a new IMF podcast series with a focus on financial technology. Hosted by IMF economist Tara Iyer, Fintech Forward draws from the expertise of the IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM) to better understand the impact of emerging technologies on financial systems and local economies around the world. In this podcast, MCM Deputy Director, Dong He, discusses how central bank digital currencies (CBDC) are set to transform the global monetary system.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3v2T8rb

The energy crises of the early 70s, the 80s, and the early 2000s all had their challenges, but none were so intertwined with other emergencies like a war in Europe, climate change, and a global pandemic. Daniel Yergin won the Pulitzer Prize and many other accolades for his writing on the political economy of global energy. His latest book The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations looks at where today's energy markets are headed and the geopolitics of an energy transition from hydrocarbons to renewable energy. In this podcast, Yergin says renewables use a lot more minerals than people realize and will move us from the world of big oil to a world of big shovels.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3uMI4OO

Daniel Yergin is Vice Chairman of S&P Global.

Albert Einstein once said, "In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity." But while the war in Ukraine has sparked crises on several fronts, the opportunities are not all that obvious at this point. Historians can help connect those lines by looking back at how we emerged from history's darkest hours. Patricia Clavin is Professor of Modern History at Oxford University. In this podcast, journalist Rhoda Metcalfe asks Clavin what the geopolitical fallout from the war might mean for globalization. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3RdufCi

Read Patricia Clavin's article Turbulence and the Lessons of History in the June issue of Finance and Development. IMF.org/FandD

While international financial institutions work with policymakers to help countries navigate their way through the myriad of disruptions in the global economy of late, the private sector plays a critical role in catalyzing investment that will help bring long-term solutions. In this podcast, Alphabet and Google Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat and IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath discuss the growing number of challenges facing the global economy and the opportunities where the private sector can help.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/39X0g0S

The war in Ukraine and the rise of emerging market economies have opened a new chapter in international relations, with important implications for the global economic order. Like an earthquake, the war has an epicenter, located in Russia and Ukraine, but its seismic waves are impacting economies far and wide and revealing a shift in the underlying geopolitical tectonic plates. In this podcast, IMF Chief Economist, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas discusses what fragmentation of the global economy might mean for the dominance of the US dollar in the international monetary and financial system. 

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3N4ZOei

Read the article at IMF.org/fandd

Welcome to Fintech Forward, a new IMF podcast series with a focus on financial technology. Fintech has grown exponentially in recent years and prompted a paradigm shift in virtually all areas of finance, with significant implications for financial stability. Fintech Forward, hosted by IMF economist Tara Iyer, will draw from the expertise of the IMF Monetary and Capital Markets Department to better understand the impact of emerging technologies on financial systems and local economies around the world. In this first episode, Tobias Adrian, Director of the IMF's Monetary and Capital Markets Department, says fintech is causing nothing less than a revolution in the global financial system.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3aQSqWH

When women begin to participate more in the economy, good things happen. There's more growth, less inequality, and greater financial stability. So, why is women's labor force participation still so low in so many countries? Katharine Christopherson is an Assistant General Counsel in the IMF legal Department and coauthor of some new research that looks at the legal impediments to women’s economic activity across the globe. In this podcast, journalist Rhoda Metcalfe and Katharine Christopherson discuss the outdated laws that hold women back and what drives countries to reform them.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/3xbEO0P

Most of the goods we purchase travel across the oceans in steel containers aboard the largest ships ever to sail the seas. But the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns knocked the wind from their sails and disrupted the entire global shipping network, causing supply shortages and soaring shipping costs. IMF economist Yan Carrière-Swallow has studied the macroeconomic impact of shocks to ocean freight, and in this podcast, he says shipping costs are an important driver of inflation around the world.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/3GjIdxD

Yan Carrière-Swallow is coauthor along with Pragyan Deb, Davide Furceri, Daniel Jimenez, and Jonathan Ostry, of Shipping Costs and Inflation available at IMF.org.

Economies grow better when they are more equal, and taxation is a powerful tool to help reduce inequalities. But increasingly, the international tax system is doing the opposite of that by allowing corporations and the world's wealthiest people to avoid paying their fair share. The Tax Justice Network estimates the combined global revenue losses from cross-border tax abuse by people with undeclared offshore assets and of multinational companies amount to some $483 billion a year. Alex Cobham is Chief Executive of the Tax Justice Network, and in this podcast, he speaks with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about his article Taxing for a New Social Contract in Finance and Development. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3sG6rMI

Read the article at IMF.org/fandd