IMF Podcasts

The International Monetary Fund is to give $130 million dollars of financial assistance to the three countries in west Africa hardest hit by the ebola crisis. Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone are facing slowing growth and disruptions to agriculture, mining, and services because of the outbreak.

As the Chinese president, Xi Jinping continues his state visit to India, a leading Indian economist assesses the rapid development of these two giant economies, and suggests that the world's most populous countries may be forging a quite exceptional development path.

Small states or countries with fewer than 1.5 million people have been struggling economically in recent years. An IMF economist offers an explanation and possible solutions.

Traditionally, countries developed their economies by moving away from agriculture into manufacturing. This was then followed by growth of the service sector. But many countries in Africa are building their service sector without transitioning through widespread industrialization. Is Africa experiencing a quite different path towards development? For more information: http://www.qeh.ox.ac.uk/resea...

Chinese economic growth has been slowing in recent years. If the world's second largest economy is to achieve sustainable, long-term growth, it needs reforms to shadow banking, local government finances and the real estate sector, say IMF economists.

Fiscal policies should be center stage in getting energy prices to reflect the harmful health and environmental side effects associated with energy use, according to a new report released by the IMF

Equality is not just about everyone getting their fair share, it's also about everyone paying their fair share. A top NGO chief says the growing wealth gap could be reduced by tightening both domestic and international tax rules. Read more on the subject: Fixing International Corporate Taxation---Not Just a Problem for Advanced Economies http://blog-imfdirect.imf.org/2014/06/25/fixing-internationa...

The International Monetary Fund has launched the first in a series of free online courses for those interested in furthering their economic education. One of the course's instructors explains the benefits of raising the public's knowledge about economics, and what he himself has learned from the creation of the course.

Shadow banking is a system of uninsured investments from non-bank institutions. It can yield very high returns, but investments come with the risk of total bust. Even though shadow banking has the potential for enormous losses, it will continue to be a part of China's economic landscape, says one Sino expert.

Africa has grown faster than many other parts of the world over the last two decades, but many Africans are still not seeing the benefits. One Africa specialist suggests measures that authorities might adopt to take advantage of the continent's burgeoning potential.

After years of double digit expansion, China's economic growth is slowing. The world's second largest economy expanded off the back of manufacturing, investment and exports. But, China is now looking inwards for its future growth.

Economists are often criticized for viewing the world through the lens of costs and benefits, while ignoring the morality of an economic decision. But, while economics can't answer moral questions, it can inform the debate, says one expert.

Over recent decades, labor's share of GDP has declined steadily in many countries. The International Labour Organization suggests that reforming the labor market could halt that downturn and, at the same time, help reduce inequality.

The uneven distribution of wealth is one of the most debated issues in contemporary politics and economics. In a recently published, best-selling book, Thomas Piketty, explains the historical forces which have resulted in this inequality, and why a global tax on wealth could be the solution.

News of rising inequality is, more often than not, met with much handwringing. But, the growing gap between the super rich and the rest has also been accompanied by the lifting of millions out of poverty.

The future continues to look bright for sub-Saharan Africa, with robust growth expected to accelerate next year. But the IMF also warns of possible threats to the continent's economy coming from outside the region.

Rising inequality around the world is becoming a cause of increasing concern. The IMF is contributing to the debate by suggesting how governments might use tax and spending to reduce the gap between the haves and the have lesses...without slowing down growth.

Why are some countries richer than others? The key may lie in the agricultural sector, says one expert, who suggests that low agricultural productivity may be keeping poor countries in a state of arrested development.

The frequency of natural disasters has increased, and its usually poorer countries that are more affected than the developed. But IMF economists say the right policies can be soften their devastating impact. By Nicole Laframboise, Deputy Division Chief, IMF's Western Hemisphere Department

Over the next two decades, global energy consumption is expected to increase by more than 40 percent, according to the Chief Economist of BP, who describes some of the likely tectonic shifts in the energy sector of the future.

Economists use models to try to make sense of economic trends and shape policies. But, since the financial meltdown of 2008, many have criticized what they see as an overreliance on these models which failed to predict the crisis. The former President of the European Central Bank suggests ways these models might be improved.

Unemployment benefits deter job seekers from accepting work, say critics. But do they? One expert weighs the evidence.

Traditionally, humanitarian workers and development specialists were seen as inhabiting two different worlds, but one expert calls for some joined up thinking to help the people of fragile states.

La croissance de l'économie mondiale devrait s'accélérer cette année, selon le Fonds monétaire international. C'est ce qui ressort de la dernière mise à jour des Perspectives de l'économie mondiale du FMI. Le FMI table sur une croissance mondiale voisine de 3,7 % cette année, qui passerait à 3,9 % en 2015.

Global growth is expected to increase this year, says the International Monetary Fund in its latest report on the health of the global economy. The IMF forecasts global growth to average 3.7 percent in 2014―up from 3 percent in 2013―and to rise to 3.9 percent in 2015.