IMF Survey Magazine: Books

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IMFSurvey Magazine: Books

James Boughton, former IMF historian and author of two of the institution’s histories, introduces F&D’s book discussion (photo: Cliff Owen/IMF)

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.

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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 20^th 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.

Reconstructing the World Economy

July 13, 2010
As the world emerges from the worst crisis in decades, a new IMF book presents a number of proposals for improving the stability of the global economy.

IMF's F&D Magazine Looks at World Emerging From Crisis

December 11, 2009
As countries begin to emerge from the global financial crisis, they face new challenges, including unemployment, which in many cases continues to climb. The December issue of the IMF’s Finance & Development magazine looks at how countries and individuals are reacting.

IMF’s F&D Magazine Looks Beyond the Global Crisis

September 11, 2009
The September issue of the IMF’s Finance & Development looks at how to sustain recovery from the global economic crisis, maintaining supportive policies while planning for their well-timed reversal, and what’s in and out in global money.

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.

Accurate Trade Data Key to Understanding Depth of Crisis

March 10, 2010
One indicator of the severity of the recent global financial crisis was the sharp drop in global trade. The IMF has published an updated manual that would more accurately measure and analyze the depth of the recent global trade slump by setting standards for measuring price changes of exported and imported goods and services.

New Journal to Showcase IMF’s Role in Crisis

October 05, 2009
The Fund’s new premier Research Journal—the IMF Economic Review—will tackle a broad agenda of global macro and financial issues and aim to reach a wider audience, says the journal’s editor, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas.

Latin America: Greater Resilience to Shocks

December 03, 2008
A new book from the IMF looks at Latin America's economic relationship with the United States and other important economic regions. It finds that these links have undergone profound change.

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