IMF update

 

Dear MARIA, We just published a new blog—please find the full text below.  Southeast Asia’s Economies Can Gain Most by Packaging Ambitious  (Credit: Nikada/iStock by Getty Images) By Anne-Charlotte Paret Onorato Southeast Asia’s major economies have made major strides over the last couple of decades. The largest have seen income per capita grow at least three-fold over the past 20 years amid global integration and prudent policymaking. Vietnam now enjoys an income level that’s 11 times higher than in 2000. Building on such gains to close the region’s gap with high-income countries—an ambition for many seeking to break from the so-called middle-income trap—while challenging, is in reach.

International Monetary Fund:New Chart of the Week: How Artificial Intelligence Can Boost Productivity in Latin America

 

Dear MARIA, We just published a new blog—please find the full text below.  How Artificial Intelligence Can Boost Productivity in Latin America (Credit: IMF Photo/Ernesto Benavides) By Bas B. Bakker, Sophia Chen, and Dmitry Vasilyev Latin America and the Caribbean has long been a region with one of the most informal labor markets. A large part of the workforce is outside of the formal economy, leaving many people without access to benefits and protections

IMF Weekend Read

 

Dear MARIA, In today's edition, we highlight: How Artificial Intelligence can boost productivity in Latin America New global standards for macroeconomic statistics F&D magazine: how animal spirits affect the economy Amory Gethin measures the economic value of education The insurer channel of monetary policy ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE How AI Can Boost Productivity in Latin America (Credit: AFP IMF Photo/Ernesto Benavides) Countries with higher numbers of what economists call informal workers—like

IMF Weekend Read

 

Dear MARIA, In today's edition, we highlight: How sound economic policy can help prevent conflict Country Focus: Boosting growth and prosperity in South Africa Innovation's unseen frontier, in March 2025 F&D magazine Podcast with Karthik Sastry on animal spirits and the economy, and more ECONOMIC GROWTH How Sound Economic Policy Can Help Prevent Conflict (Credit: UNICEF/UNI561766/Ibarra Sánchez) Economic policies supporting conflict prevention can not only save lives and prevent injuries, forced displacement, and vast economic damage, but also result in significant cost savings for high-risk countries, write the IMF's Franck Bousquet, Paul M. Bisca, Christopher Rauh, and Benjamin Seimon in a new blog.

International Monetary Fund :"New Chart of the Week: How Sound Economic Policy Can Help Prevent Conflict"

 

Dear MARIA, We just published a new blog—please find the full text below.  How Sound Economic Policy Can Help Prevent Conflict (Credit: IMF Photo) By Franck Bousquet, Paul M. Bisca, Christopher Rauh, and Benjamin Seimon Macroeconomic policy can play a key role in preventing armed conflict, in turn saving lives and avoiding injuries, forced displacement and migration, and vast damage to the economy.

ΙΜF,update

 

South Africa Boosting Growth and Prosperity in South Africa (Credit: fivepointsix/Getty Images) South Africa is well-positioned to confront significant longstanding challenges that have been holding the economy back: declining real per-capital income, persistent unemployment, pervasive poverty, and one of the highest inequality rates in the world. These outcomes reflect deepening structural rigidities and governance weaknesses, evidenced by the negative contribution of Total Factor Productivity to growth over the past 15 years.

ΙΜF latest

 

Dear MARIA, In today's edition, we highlight: F&D March issue: how talent fuels growth Managing Director Georgieva on Asia's next growth frontier Nigel Clarke on stability, growth, and macroeconomic balance Oren Cass on "the invisible hand," and more F&D MAGAZINE How Talent Fuels Growth (Credit: Yasmine Gateau) Every great leap in human progress—from the printing press to the steam engine to the semiconductor—has been driven by ideas. But ideas do not emerge in a vacuum; they come from people. And among them, it is often the most talented minds that push the boundaries of what is possible, writes the IMF’s Gita Bhatt in a new blog.

IMF Blog,update

 

Dear MARIA, We just published a new blog—please find the full text below.  How Talent Fuels Growth (Credit: Yasmine Gateau) By Gita Bhatt Every great leap in human progress—from the printing press to the steam engine to the semiconductor—has been driven by ideas. But ideas do not emerge in a vacuum; they come from people. And among them, it is often the most talented minds that push the boundaries of what is possible. This makes talent one of the world’s most valuable resources that can drive innovation and growth. Countries that develop the best minds gain a competitive edge. Those that fail to do so don’t just slow their own progress—the world loses, too. Every untapped genius is a discovery that never happens, a technology that never emerges, a field that never takes off. The next transformative idea—a cure for a disease, a revolutionary technology—could come from anywhere. But only if the right minds are given an opportunity to reach their full potential. The newest issue of Finance & Development explores the economics of talent.

ΙΜF Weekend read..

 

Dear MARIA, In today's edition, we highlight: Georgieva: bold reforms needed to boost global growth How AI can help both tax collectors and taxpayers The mysteries of cities and economic growth New IMF staff papers, and more GLOBAL ECONOMY Georgieva: Bold Reforms Needed to Boost Global Growth (Credit: IMF Photo) How can we reinvigorate global growth amid limited policy space and heightened uncertainties? This was one “resounding common theme” of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings in Cape Town, according to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.

IMF PODCASTS

 

(Credit: IMF PHOTO) The pandemic was a brutal reminder of how crucial public health systems are, yet health budgets in many countries are still underfunded. Developing economies generally do not allocate sufficient domestic resources to health and external financing is becoming increasingly difficult to secure. Sanjeev Gupta is a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development and coauthor with Victoria Fan of How to Heal Health Financing, published in Finance and Development magazine. In this podcast, Gupta says greater revenue collection and improved budget execution would strengthen health systems in low-income countries and reduce the need for foreign assistance.   Listen to the podcast on: IMF.org | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud | YouTube   Read the transcript F&D Magazine How to Heal Health Financing   International initiatives must complement, not duplicate, national health strategies Victoria Fan and Sanjeev Gupta   Thanks for listening to the podcast. We're always looking to improve your experience so let us know if you have any suggestions! Send your comments to me at bedwards2@IMF.org.   Bruce Edwards Producer, IMF Podcasts

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