IMF Survey Magazine: IMF Survey Interview

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IMFSurvey Magazine: Interview

Glass factory in Paracin, Serbia. To foster job creation, the Serbian government has already taken steps to amend the labor law to remove disincentives to hiring (photo: Ivan Milutinovic/Reuters/Corbis)

Serbia’s Economic Program Aims to Support Growth and Job Creation

March 03, 2015

The Western Balkans’ second largest economy now has a window of opportunity to break from past policies and embark on a path to stabilize and reform its economy.

Press release
Main pillars of adjustment program

Serbia and the IMF

Moroccan Economy on the Right Track

February 23, 2015
The Moroccan economy is faring better due to significant progress in implementing economic reforms, but the country should sustain efforts to maintain gains and achieve higher and inclusive growth, the IMF said in its latest annual assessment of the economy and first review of the liquidity line that Morocco obtained from the global lender in 2014.

IMF to Provide Grants for $100 Million in Debt Relief to Ebola-hit Countries

February 05, 2015
The IMF will provide grants totaling $100 million to be used as debt relief to the three countries worst hit by the Ebola epidemic. Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone will use the funds to cover the cost of servicing their debt.

Geopolitical Risks Cloud Future of Russian Economy

June 30, 2014
Russia’s economy continued its slow pace of growth in 2013, reflecting pre-existing structural problems and the fallout of geopolitical tensions with Ukraine.

Gulf Countries Should Refine Policies to Ensure Financial Stability

March 19, 2014
The experience of the boom and bust in 2008-09 demonstrates the vulnerability of the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—to credit and asset price cycles, and makes macroprudential policies especially important, says IMF.

Africa’s Middle Class Spearheads Economic Growth

December 26, 2013
Africa’s economic growth should be more inclusive, and the middle class has a strong role to play in strengthening this growth, says economist Mthuli Ncube, who also gives his thoughts on the state of data in Africa and the continent’s stellar economic performance.

Spain: Continue Reforms to Strengthen Recovery, Create Jobs

August 02, 2013
Spain’s economy is expected to emerge from recession later this year, but the IMF is calling for the European country to continue with reforms to strengthen its economy and bolster job creation.

Economic Structural Change Vital to Successful Development

June 28, 2013
When a country shifts from being a largely agrarian economy to one based on services or industry, it is said to have undergone “structural change”. This process has taken place in some Asian countries, but many low-income countries have yet to undergo structural transformation.

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.

IMF Loan to Help Jamaica Cope With Growth and Debt Challenges

May 01, 2013
The IMF’s Executive Board approved a 48-month, $932 million Extended Arrangement for Jamaica. The program will help create the conditions for sustained growth through a significant improvement in the fiscal and debt positions and in competitiveness.

IMF Weighs Reforms to Debt Limits Policy

April 08, 2013
The IMF is studying ways to strengthen the focus of its debt limits policy on debt sustainability while allowing countries to manage debt in a more flexible way, a new report says. The IMF’s Executive Board has given the green light to develop proposals in the coming months.

Egypt: Steadfast Reforms Key for Economic Stability, Jobs, Growth

February 11, 2015
Following four years of political uncertainty and economic slowdown, Egypt has chosen a path of adjustment and reform which, if followed resolutely, will lead to economic stability and growth, the IMF said in its first comprehensive assessment of the North African nation’s economy since 2010.

Gulf Banks Face Concentration Risks, IMF Study Says

December 22, 2014
While banks in the GCC countries are generally well capitalized, it is difficult for them to have a truly diversified credit portfolio given the structure of their economies, which exposes them to risks that require a greater amount of scrutiny, a new IMF study finds.

The Mideast: Achieving Fast and Fair Growth

April 29, 2014
Making strides in economic transformation has become increasingly important as the Arab Countries in Transition—Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Yemen—continue to chart their political paths, says Masood Ahmed, IMF Middle East Department Director in an interview.

IMF to Strengthen its Standing in Region, says new Asia Head

February 24, 2014
The IMF should be like a family doctor who has an ongoing, close relationship with the patient, and not an emergency physician who appears only at times of crisis, suggests the new Director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department.

Faster, Stronger Growth in Central, Eastern Europe

October 21, 2013
Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe may be confronting a period of slower growth after years of robust expansion, says the International Monetary Fund in a new report which looks at how the region might increase its growth potential.

IMF Explores Ways to Enhance Cooperation with Regional Groups

July 02, 2013
Close cooperation between the IMF and regional financing arrangements can contribute significantly to global financial stability, a new IMF paper says.

IMF Launches Discussion of Sovereign Debt Restructuring

May 23, 2013
The IMF is taking a fresh look at sovereign debt restructuring, with a robust work agenda on this issue in the coming months, said Hugh Bredenkamp, Deputy Director of the IMF’s Policy, Strategy, and Review Department.

IMF to Strengthen Advice on Labor Market Policies

May 08, 2013
Having taken stock of the IMF’s work on job creation and growth, there is scope for the institution to provide more analysis and policy advice to help its members achieve their inclusive growth goals, says IMF Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu in an interview.

Focus on Jobs and Growth, Says IMFC Chair Tharman

April 21, 2013
In an interview, Tharman Shanmugaratnam—Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Chair of the IMF’s policy steering committee, the IMFC, underscored the need to refocus policies on sustainable growth and job creation.

Security, Stability Measures Needed to Fix Fragile States

March 29, 2013
A country suffering any or all of the following adverse conditions—political and economic instability, poverty, civil disorder, terrorism, human trafficking, or disease—can be labeled a fragile state. These fragile situations are not limited to low-income countries. The issue of governance is a concern for countries around the world.

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