IMFSurvey Magazine: Books

Authors Ayhan Kose and Marco Terrones explore the last four global recessions through text, charts, and multimedia interviews and features (photo: IMF)
When National Cycles Coincide: Tracking Global Recessions and Recoveries
February 09, 2016
Akerlof Says Free Markets May Manipulate Our Thinking
November 25, 2015
At a recent IMF forum, George Akerlof, 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics, discussed his new book, Phishing for Phools, which is based on the idea that free market forces can produce systemic harm by exploiting human weaknesses.
Financial Sector Reform—an Investment in Asia’s Future
September 03, 2015
Asia’s financial systems are big, resilient, and growing rapidly, but financing another generation of rapid growth will require further innovation, says the IMF Managing Director.
Authors Debate Impact of Bretton Woods on IMF, Past and Future
May 15, 2013
Expert panelists engaged in animated debate over Bretton Woods architects Harry Dexter White and John Maynard Keynes and offered insights on how the IMF came about and how that history affects the global economy, in a book discussion sponsored by F&D.
Managing Public Finances Is Vital to Economic Prosperity
April 16, 2013
Across the world many countries are now grappling with restoring sound and sustainable public finances: the way governments manage their budgets today will have profound economic effects in the years ahead.
Don’t Demonize Finance After Crisis, Says Shiller
May 01, 2012
Despite the widespread repercussion from the global financial crisis, finance should be embraced rather than demonized, says economist Robert Shiller. In a new book, he argues that access to finance should be enlarged.
Top Economists Ponder Post-Crisis Realities
March 30, 2012
The global economic crisis and the weak recovery that has followed raise fundamental questions concerning macroeconomics and economic policy, according to a new book by IMF Chief Economist Olivier Blanchard and other leading economists.
IMF Study Examines Changing Patterns in Global Gas Markets
February 01, 2012
Recent developments in regional gas markets across the world point to important structural changes. But patterns in Europe and the United States are diverging, a new IMF study finds.
New IMF Study Offers Options for Bolstering Gulf Economies
October 17, 2011
Strong growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries has not delivered all the expected results, particularly with respect to generating jobs for the region's nationals and reducing dependence on oil and gas, the IMF says.
More Domestic Demand Could Help Rebalance Asian Economies
March 22, 2011
Exports have played an important role in Asia’s economic success to date, but the region now needs to develop a second engine of growth by rebalancing its economy to encourage greater domestic demand, according to IMF economists in a new book.
Prescient Pundits Deconstruct Forces, Actors Shaping Crisis
September 08, 2010
The global financial crisis has been analyzed, scrutinized, and deconstructed from almost every angle since it erupted in 2007. But two books published in 2010 by eminent authors Raghuram Rajan and Sebastian Mallaby show that there are still fresh areas to explore.
Harnessing the Power of Fiscal Policy to Mitigate Inequality
September 25, 2015
The appropriate design of fiscal policies can mitigate income inequality, without hurting growth, or even while increasing it, according to a recently published IMF book, Inequality and Fiscal Policy.
Good Administration of Oil and Mining Revenues is Vital
August 06, 2014
Effective administration of public revenues derived from the petroleum and mining industries gets a boost with the release of a new IMF handbook. Policymakers and government officials in charge of administering oil, gas and mining revenues now have practical guidelines at their disposal.
Eastern Caribbean Currency Union Faces Similar Challenges to Euro Area
May 09, 2013
As the 2008 global crisis deepened, the euro area, the world’s largest and most well-known regional currency union, faced a number of challenges. In many respects, the smaller Eastern Caribbean Economic and Currency Union (ECCU) is an interesting microcosm of the euro area’s problems and its difficulties.
Country's Wealth Depends on Citizens' Share of National Pie
June 01, 2012
Why are some countries rich and others poor? James Robinson, coauthor of the newly published “Why Nations Fail”, argues that the wealth of a country is most closely tied to how far the average person is able to share in its overall economic growth.
IMF Weighs in on Health Care Reform
April 25, 2012
Economies the world over will be hit with rising health care costs at a time when many of them need to undertake large fiscal adjustments to reduce deficits and debt.
New Book Weighs IMF Response to a Crisis-Filled Decade
March 21, 2012
The 1990s was a tumultuous period that witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, the transition of former Eastern bloc countries to market economies, and a series of crippling financial crises—all of which posed new challenges for the IMF and transformed its role.
Dollar's History Points to Future of Global Monetary System
October 21, 2011
Long-term strengthening of the international monetary system will require concerted efforts from policymakers in advanced and emerging economies alike, a Washington seminar heard. The event discussed a new book on the rise of the dollar in the 20th century by Berkeley economics professor Barry Eichengreen.
Supporting Aging Populations as Demographics Shift
June 10, 2011
Demographic changes are threatening the ability of many countries to provide a decent standard of living for the old without imposing a crushing burden on the young, says the IMF’s Finance & Development magazine in a cover story. The world’s population is projected to rise to 9 billion by 2050.
Five Fundamental Changes Are Boosting Growth in Africa
November 16, 2010
Seventeen emerging African countries are putting behind them the conflict, stagnation, and dictatorships of the past, according to a new book by Steve Radelet. Instead of treating the region as a monolith, the former Center for Global Development senior fellow stressed the differences between Africa’s emerging countries.