## Your Weekend Podcast Roundup

_IMF Blog, August 20, 2021_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Your Weekend Podcast Roundup](https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2021/08/20/your-weekend-podcast-roundup)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/blogs/articles/2021/08/20/your-weekend-podcast-roundup/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/blogs/articles/2021/08/20/your-weekend-podcast-roundup/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/blogs/articles/2021/08/20/your-weekend-podcast-roundup/bundle-manifest.json)

## Bibliographic details
- Authors: The Editors
- Published: August 20, 2021

---

### Overview and key statistic
- Publication date: August 20, 2021
- According to the latest Infinite Dial survey from Edison Research and Triton Digital, the percentage of people listening to podcasts weekly grew 17 percent in 2021.

### Purpose and context
- Curated list of podcast interviews selected by the editors at Finance & Development.
- Intended for weekend listening while traveling or doing household tasks.

### Featured podcast interviews and main themes
- Ruchir Agarwal with a Proposal to End the Pandemic
  - Argument: There will be no durable end to the economic crisis until enough people around the world are vaccinated against Covid-19.
  - Collaboration: Economist Ruchir Agarwal and IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath present a plan to achieve widespread vaccination.

- Nikita Aggarwal on the New Morality of Debt
  - Presenter: Nikita Aggarwal, research associate at the Digital Ethics Lab at Oxford University's Internet Institute.
  - Theme: Increasingly online lives provide valuable data for lenders and add new dimensions to the morality of debt.

- Biyamin Appelbaum on Why Distribution Matters
  - Theme: Rising inequality is weighing on growth and straining the fabric of liberal democracy.
  - Note: Interest among economists in distributional issues has surged, though some still question its importance.

- Luc Eyraud on Wooing Investors to Africa’s Development
  - Theme: With public finances stretched, IMF research explores innovative ways to involve the private sector in financing Africa's development needs.
  - Point: Fixing the business environment helps but sometimes is not enough to attract investment.

- Rana Foroohar on the Economic and Social Force of Big Tech
  - Presenter: Rana Foroohar, Global Business Columnist and Associate Editor at the Financial Times.
  - Theme: The exponential growth of Big Tech firms and implications for the global economy.

- Trevor Manuel on South Africa’s Lost Decade
  - Presenter: Trevor Manuel, veteran of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle and former minister of finance.
  - Theme: Reflection on drivers of the country's longest phase of economic growth and how the ruling party has lost its way.

- Oral Williams on How Technical Assistance Translates into Better Live
  - Presenter: Oral Williams, head of the IMF Regional Capacity Development Center for Anglophone West Africa and coauthor of a study.
  - Finding: The study shows a direct relationship between technical assistance and improvement in tax revenues.
  - Argument: Providing technical assistance and training leads to better living standards for more people.

- Janet Yellen on Womenomics
  - Participants: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
  - Occasion: Conversation in celebration of International Women's Day.
  - Theme: Advancement of women in the field of economics.

### Engagement
- Call to action: Readers invited to complete a 3-question survey on IMFBlog.

*Source: Your Weekend Podcast Roundup, The Editors, August 20, 2021.*

---


## References

- [Finance & Development](https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/index.htm)
- [Ruchir Agarwal with a Proposal to End the Pandemic](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2021/06/16/ending-the-pandemic)
- [Nikita Aggarwal on the New Morality of Debt](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2021/05/21/new-morality-of-debt)
- [Biyamin Appelbaum on Why Distribution Matters](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2020/12/22/binyamin-appelbaum)
- [Luc Eyraud on Wooing Investors to Africa’s Development](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2021/06/24/luc-eyraud-on-africa-investment)
- [Rana Foroohar on the Economic and Social Force of Big Tech](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2021/04/30/rana-foroohar)
- [Trevor Manuel on South Africa’s Lost Decade](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2021/06/09/trevor-manuel)
- [Oral Williams on How Technical Assistance Translates into Better Live](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2021/07/15/oral-williams-on-ta)
- [Janet Yellen on Womenomics](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2021/03/08/Yellen-Georgieva-Womenomics)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2021/08/20/your-weekend-podcast-roundup_