IMF Podcasts

Before the global financial crisis, the economies of central, eastern and southeastern Europe were expected to converge to the levels of their richer, western neighbors. But since the crisis, growth has been disappointing. How then to return this region to greater prosperity?

As US politicians race against the clock to avoid the United States defaulting on its debt, Martin Wolf describes what the debt ceiling is, and its implications for the global economy.

In the latest update to its World Economic Outlook, the IMF says it expects the world's economy to grow by 2.9 percent this year—below the 3.2 percent recorded last year. Growth is likely to be driven by advanced economies, while the performance of emerging markets will be weaker than expected.

Despite its many achievements since the transition to majority rule, South Africa struggles with low growth, widespread unemployment, and sharp social tensions. The IMF says Africa's largest economy needs to pursue structural reforms to boost growth and create jobs for a growing population.

The 26-odd countries in the Caribbean may be small, but they are facing many of the same challenges confronting larger nations. These include the need to create more jobs and ensure that any growth is spread across a wide cross section of society. The countries of the Caribbean and various international organizations are meeting in the Bahamas to discuss how to capture that elusive growth.

Kenya is one of the success stories of Africa's economic resurgence. Just a few short years after the global financial crisis caused a sharp economic downturn, the country has rebounded, and earned a reputation as one of the continent's frontier economies. With this strong performance in mind, the Kenya and the IMF will co-host a conference to discuss the country's prospects.

Myanmar has made impressive strides in opening and liberalizing the economy, boosting growth and the economic outlook, but the formerly isolated country still faces some challenges.

Economic growth in the developing world has been accompanied by massive increases in higher education enrollment. This can feed a country's development—but it also puts new pressures on a country's leaders and workers.

As the economies of the developing world expand, new jobs beckon. But Richard Freeman says these countries have seen a surprising persistence of informal sector jobs—which offer low pay and scant worker protection.

Si vous faites partie de ces milliers de gens qui envoient de l'argent à leurs parents et amis à l'étranger, attention! Peut-être faites-vous autant de mal que de bien, selon un économiste du FMI. Ces envois de fonds peuvent certes secourir des familles dans le besoin, mais ils peuvent aussi saper la croissance économique.