The Institute for Capacity Development’s Internal Economics Training (IET) program provides training over a wide range of topics that are relevant for IMF economists. The objective of the program is to ensure that Fund economists at all levels stay at the forefront of the profession and remain current on the major issues of the day.

The program consists of courses (which run from two to five days) and seminars (typically half-day events) on topics in econometrics, economic theory, finance, monetary and exchange rate policy, open-economy macroeconomics, political economy, public economics, and trade. The popularity of the program has elicited a rapid expansion in the number of courses and seminars offered since the program’s inception. The Institute consults with economists from across the Fund in choosing the topics to be covered as well as the speakers to be invited, and it seeks feedback from participants in all the courses and seminars. The range of topics covered has broadened significantly in recent years, reflecting the increasingly complex and rapidly evolving environment which Fund economists operate.

The Institute invites some of the best-known scholars in their fields to the Fund to conduct the courses and seminars. Among these are recent recipients of the Nobel Prize in Economics, as well as the John Bates Clark Medal. Since 2000, country officials have also participated in selected week-long IET courses in various fields.