Advertise on podcast: IMF Podcasts

Recent geopolitical shocks have changed the nature of international trade and left regional organizations to tighten their economic ties. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), one of the world's most effective blocs, is now intensifying integration among its members to mitigate the effects of global fragmentation. Ben Bland is the director of the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House. In this podcast, he says concentrations of economic power across the region are complicating matters. Read the article in Finance & Development  IMF.org/fandd

While much of the big technological innovations of the past decade have emerged from the United States and China, innovation happens everywhere. The Swiss train system, for instance, has run entirely on renewable energy since the early 1960s. Why do so many prominent tech leaders now choose to live in Canada? Mehran Gul is the author of The New Geography of Innovation. In this podcast, he says the obsessive focus on Silicon Valley has obscured significant innovative models being developed in other countries.   Read the article in the IMF's Finance & Development magazine: IMF.org/fandd

Manufacturing and industrialization have long been the development strategy for many countries in Asia. But while the approach has spurred growth and lifted millions out of poverty, most jobs remain in the untraded services sector. In this podcast, Dani Rodrik says that making employment in traditional, domestic services like food, hospitality, and gig work more productive will lead to a more inclusive growth model. Rodrik is Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School and co-directs its Reimagining the Economy program.    Read the article in the IMF's Finance & Development magazine: IMF.org/fandd

Today's South Korean economy is a far cry from what Ha-Joon Chang was born into. But growing up, he witnessed the remarkable transformation of a largely agrarian society into an industrial powerhouse, albeit under a military dictatorship. In this podcast, the economist and best-selling author describes living through South Korea's "economic miracle" like riding a time machine. Transcript:  https://bit.ly/4gEDPfl Read the article in Finance & Development: IMF.org/FANDD

Asia has been the poster child for moving farm workers into urban manufacturing jobs to increase productivity, but is that model still the growth path? In this podcast, IMF Asia and Pacific Department head Krishna Srinivasan discusses his Finance & Development article, "Asia's New Growth Model," based on a forthcoming book.

Inflation pressures were already brewing when Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas stepped in as IMF Chief Economist in January 2022, but rising geopolitical tensions soon added fuel to the fire, and inflation remained a challenge throughout his tenure. In this podcast, outgoing Chief Gourinchas reflects on four + years marked by trade tensions, geopolitical shocks, and rapid technological change. And how the value of forecasting lies less in precise point estimates and more in articulating the underlying forces and policy implications. Transcript:  https://bit.ly/4oUrjvy

Inflation pressures were already brewing when Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas stepped in as IMF Chief Economist in January 2022, but rising geopolitical tensions soon added fuel to the fire, and inflation remained a challenge throughout his tenure. In this podcast, outgoing Chief Gourinchas reflects on four + years marked by trade tensions, geopolitical shocks, and rapid technological change. And how the value of forecasting lies less in precise point estimates and more in articulating the underlying forces and policy implications. Transcript:  https://bit.ly/4oUrjvy

As geopolitical tensions rise, countries like to flex their economic muscle. But as appealing as they might be, sanctions, tariffs, and export bans come at a price. Jeffry Frieden is a professor of international and public affairs and political science at Columbia University. In this podcast, he says when economic and geopolitical relations become tightly connected, bad things can happen. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4vxZmfU Read the article in Finance & Development: IMF.org/FANDD

Increased trade integration between economic superpowers shaped our globalized world, but that world we've known for the past three decades is becoming increasingly fragmented. What happens to those trade relationships when countries disengage? Michele Ruta is the IMF expert on trade and global imbalances. In this podcast, he says even strategic rivals can benefit from trade cooperation.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/4ebXDW0  Read the article in Finance & Development magazine. IMF.org/FANDD

State-owned enterprises have long been viewed by economists as a bad idea due to proven inefficiencies and mismanagement. But is handing over key resources and industries to the private sector really the answer? Economic historian Nicholas Mulder says, with all the geopolitical risks in the world of late, governments are looking for ways to keep essential resources under their control. Mulder is a professor of history at Cornell University. His article The New Wave of Nationalization was published in the June issue of Finance & Development magazine. In this podcast, Rhoda Metcalfe and Nicholas Mulder discuss the potential and risks of rising government ownership. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4wYy0R0  Read the article in Finance & Development magazine: IMF.org/fandd

The recent scramble for the minerals that go into our electric vehicles, solar panels, and defense systems has exposed vulnerabilities in the supply chains. Mineral markets are complex, spanning dozens of materials found around the world, but the real challenge is processing. More than 90 percent of rare earth minerals are currently processed in China. Gracelin Baskaran is the founding director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In this podcast, she says mineral security is not just a national security imperative, it's an economic security imperative.  Transcript: https://bit.ly/4uBN1qu Read the article in Finance & Development magazine

As global powers face rising geopolitical tensions, sanctions, export controls, and tariffs are once again tools of leverage, marking the resurgence of geoeconomics, where economic policy and national security converge. This approach to business was largely abandoned by the West after the Cold War, though for most other countries, geopolitics and economics have always been closely linked. Josh Lipsky is the founding director of the GeoEconomics Center at the Atlantic Council, and Matteo Maggiori is a professor of finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In this podcast, they discuss the new face of geoeconomics and its seemingly vengeful comeback. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4fe0G2a  Read the articles in Finance & Development magazine: IMF.org/fandd

When global volatility increases, so does the demand for the dollar. When countries face sanctions, they rush for gold. But while the two have been the most common reserve currencies for decades, surprising alternatives are emerging. UC Berkeley professor and author Barry Eichengreen, along with IMF economists Chima Simpson-Bell and Serkan Arslanalp, track the dynamics of reserve currencies in their recent NBER paper. In this podcast, Eichengreen and Simpson-Bell discuss the changing landscape of reserve currencies. Transcript: https://bit.ly/43ovB4o

When esteemed economist and author Eswar Prasad set out to write his latest book, it was to be about the promise of some recent trends within the world's economic and power structures, but he found something darker. The Doom Loop is about what happens when the positive forces that normally bring stability begin to work against each other. In this podcast, Prasad says that the dynamics of this negative feedback loop have led to the erosion of institutions across the globe. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4d5i8Df

While it is true that death and taxes are unavoidable, good tax policies can help delay the inevitable. So-called sin taxes on alcohol, tobacco, sugar, and other harmful products can raise revenues and reduce public healthcare spending. In this podcast, economist Christoph Rosenberg says sin taxes are relatively easy to collect and, done right, can nudge people towards healthier lifestyles. Transcript: https://bit.ly/4ttwKmI Read the article Finance & Development magazine. IMF.org/fandd