IMF Podcasts

For all its strengths in measuring a country's economy, GDP falls short when it comes to gauging the well-being of its residents. For example, per capita GDP numbers today suggest people in the US are better off now than they were before the pandemic, regardless of the enduring social and economic upheaval. The recognition that GDP cannot encompass many dimensions of well-being has prompted a search for measures that reflect a more complete account of what people care about. Miles Kimball is a Professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and is developing the principles for a national well-being index. In this podcast, Kimball says the index would also serve to grade governments. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3lfnD8c Read the F&D article at IMF.org/fandd

In this third episode of Women in Economics, distinguished British economist Diane Coyle speaks with journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about how the lack of diversity within the economic profession is holding it back. Coyle is the Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and author of several books, some of which challenge conventional economic wisdom such as GDP. In this podcast, Coyle says economists need to start working with other disciplines if they are to live up to the influence they have in public policy and help deliver solutions to the complex challenges the world is now facing. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3DydryE Look for the review of Diane Coyle's latest book Cogs and Monsters in the Fall edition of Finance and Development. IMF.org/fandd

It's been almost 2 years since the coronavirus began to disrupt economies across the globe. In this podcast, IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath asks Raghuram Rajan about inflation and his views on what Central Banks should be doing to minimize the damage caused by the pandemic. Rajan is a former Governor of the Bank of India and currently the Catherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at Chicago Booth. This podcast is an abridged version of their discussion, you'll find a webcast of the full event at IMF.org. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3n69L1m

Despite two brutal COVID-19 waves and the widespread disruptions that ensued, India's economy is set to be one of the fastest-growing major economies for this year and beyond. Following a sharp contraction in GDP last year, India's latest outlook shows growth is expected to rebound to 9.5 percent this year and 8.5 percent in FY2022/23. Luis Breuer is IMF Senior Representative to India, Nepal and Bhutan, and a coauthor of the report. In this podcast, Breuer says India is recovering thanks to its response and scaled-up vaccine production but the pandemic is still clouding the country's outlook. Transcript: https://bit.ly/2ZvKViG

La planète reste aux prises avec une pandémie qui dure et avec une accélération des changements climatiques. Les solutions à ces défis internationaux doivent mobiliser tous les pays et toutes les régions, y compris l'Afrique subsaharienne, qui possède la population la moins vaccinée au monde et des écosystèmes critiques. La croissance de la région devrait s'établir à 3,7 % en 2021, puis à 3,8 % en 2022. Cela fait suite à la forte contraction de 2020, mais représente toujours la reprise la plus lente par rapport aux autres régions. Papa N'Diaye dirige l'équipe qui produit les perspectives économiques régionales pour l'Afrique subsaharienne. Dans ce podcast, il dit que l'accès aux vaccins est toujours la priorité pour la région.

The world remains in the grip of the pandemic and a seemingly accelerating pace of climate change. Solutions to these global problems must involve all countries and regions, especially sub-Saharan Africa, with the world's least vaccinated population and critical ecosystems. Sub-Saharan Africa's economy is set to expand by 3.7 percent in 2021 and 3.8 percent in 2022. This follows the sharp contraction in 2020, but still represents the slowest recovery relative to other regions. Papa N'Diaye leads the team that produces the Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa. In this podcast, he says access to vaccines is still the priority for the region. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3ppx8EP

The Women in Economics series showcases extraordinary work by extraordinary women in a field dominated by men. In this second episode, journalist Rhoda Metcalfe speaks with Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics at University of Massachusetts Amherst, whose work on gender issues and the public value of care work gives voice to the unpaid caregivers who form the economic base for societies around the world. In this podcast, Ghosh says our whole notion of productivity is skewed because most care work is not captured in GDP. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3lUclqA

While the World Economic Outlook shows output in advanced economies set to exceed pre-pandemic levels next year, prospects for low-income countries and emerging markets have darkened considerably due to vaccine shortages and limited support. Overall, the outlook's global growth projection for 2021 has been revised down marginally to 5.9 percent and is unchanged for 2022 at 4.9 percent. The downgrade also reflects continuing supply disruptions and the impact on advanced economies. IMF Chief Economist, Gita Gopinath heads the WEO. In this podcast, she says universal vaccine access remains key for an equitable global recovery. Transcript Transcript: https://bit.ly/3BBV2zZ Read the blog at: blogs.imf.org

The latest Global Financial Stability Report takes a close look at how recent supply chain disruptions, wage pressures and inflation might compromise the stability of the global financial system. Fabio Natalucci is Deputy Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department and heads the GFSR. In this podcast, he says while risks have been contained so far, vulnerabilities remain in a number of sectors including the housing market, where house prices have unexpectedly surged during the pandemic. Transcript Read the blog at blogs.imf.org Read the report at imf.org/GFSR

The crypto ecosystem is growing fast because there are a number of potential benefits to adopting crypto assets, like making payments and financial services cheaper, faster and accessible to more people. But the rapid growth and increasing adoption of crypto assets are posing new challenges to financial stability. Analysis in the latest Global Financial Stability Report takes a deep dive into the world of crypto and calls for a global push to regulate crypto assets. IMF Financial Counsellor, Tobias Adrian, headed the research and in this podcast, he says a regulatory approach with common standards across countries will make crypto assets safer and protect investors. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3oIisjG Read the blog at blogs.imf.org