In the latest update to its World Economic Outlook, the IMF says it expects the world's economy to grow by 2.9 percent this year—below the 3.2 percent recorded last year. Growth is likely to be driven by advanced economies, while the performance of emerging markets will be weaker than expected.

Despite its many achievements since the transition to majority rule, South Africa struggles with low growth, widespread unemployment, and sharp social tensions. The IMF says Africa’s largest economy needs to pursue structural reforms to boost growth and create jobs for a growing population.

The 26-odd countries in the Caribbean may be small, but they are facing many of the same challenges confronting larger nations. These include the need to create more jobs and ensure that any growth is spread across a wide cross section of society. The countries of the Caribbean and various international organizations are meeting in the Bahamas to d…

Kenya is one of the success stories of Africa’s economic resurgence. Just a few short years after the global financial crisis caused a sharp economic downturn, the country has rebounded, and earned a reputation as one of the continent’s frontier economies. With this strong performance in mind, the Kenya and the IMF will co-host a conference to disc…

Myanmar has made impressive strides in opening and liberalizing the economy, boosting growth and the economic outlook, but the formerly isolated country still faces some challenges.

Economic growth in the developing world has been accompanied by massive increases in higher education enrollment. This can feed a country’s development—but it also puts new pressures on a country’s leaders and workers.

As the economies of the developing world expand, new jobs beckon. But Richard Freeman says these countries have seen a surprising persistence of informal sector jobs—which offer low pay and scant worker protection.

Si vous faites partie de ces milliers de gens qui envoient de l'argent à leurs parents et amis à l'étranger, attention! Peut-être faites-vous autant de mal que de bien, selon un économiste du FMI. Ces envois de fonds peuvent certes secourir des familles dans le besoin, mais ils peuvent aussi saper la croissance économique.…

If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of people who send money abroad to friends and relatives, beware! You may be doing as much harm as good, suggests one IMF economist. Although these remittances can be a lifeline for families, they can also undermine economic growth.

Developed countries need to be industrious like ants, says economist, Peter Blair Henry. For years they have offered advice to developing countries on the best path to growth. They might benefit from heeding some of their own advice, he suggests.

La croissance de l'économie mondiale est inférieure aux prévisions, note le FMI dans son dernier rapport sur les Perspectives de l'économie mondiale. Le FMI a révisé à la baisse la croissance pour cette année à 3,1 %, et préviens que les risques augmentent en particulier dans les pays émergents.

The global economy is growing more slowly than expected, says the IMF in its latest assessment. It's revise growth downwards to 3.1 percent this year, and warns risks are rising in emerging markets.

Unemployment is a worry around the world, but it's a particularly pressing issue for developing countries with their growing, young population. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can be an important source of new jobs, IF governments provide the them with the right encouragement.

De nombreux pays créent des cartels à fin de contrôler le prix d'importants produits de base, dans le but de tirer le maximum de recettes, ou de protéger d'importants secteurs d'activité locaux. Cependant, nombreux sont ceux qui reprochent aux cartels de pénaliser les consommateurs. Nous examinons le pour et le contre des cartels, en partant de l'e…

Many countries create cartels to control the price of important commodities because they want to maximize their income or protect key domestic industries. But the use of cartels is criticized for causing higher prices for consumers. We investigate the pros and cons of cartels through the example of the maple syrup industry.…

When it comes to borrowing money on the international financial markets, several countries of sub-Saharan Africa can now access money at cheaper rates than some European nations. The change is historic and could open up exciting opportunities for the continent.

Despite outnumbering men as college graduates within OECD countries, women are still underrepresented at the very top managerial levels, particularly in finance and business. To coincide with an article in this June's Finance and Development magazine, a group of women veterans of Wall street describe how they got to Wall Street, what they found the…

Many of the economies of sub-Saharan Africa are performing better than much of Europe. In fact, the region has just completed one of the best decades of growth since the 1960s. This is because it has learnt lessons from the past, say Uganda's finance minister, Maria Kiwanuka who is optimistic about the outlook for the continent.…

La réussite économique d'un pays dépend beaucoup du niveau d'éducation de sa population. Mais Rabah Arezki avance qu'une administration publique hautement éduquée est aussi cruciale pour la croissance.

More women in sub-Saharan Africa participate in the labor force than in any other region. But, most still face an uphill struggle to make ends meet. For them, the problem isn't finding work—it's the kind of work they do.

A country's economic success depends a lot on how educated its population is. But as Rabah Arezki argues in an article in June's issue of Finance and Development, a highly educated civil service, in particular, can help promote growth for all.

Some economists say that a country’s exports can determine its economic fate. But William Maloney rejects the idea that exports play such a critical role. He says it’s not what you export, but how you do it.

Grâce à l'amélioration progressive des perspectives économiques mondiales, le taux de croissance devrait atteindre 5,5 % en Afrique subsaharienne, selon les dernières prévisions du FMI. Mais ce chiffre masque des disparités au sein de la région.

With a gradually improving outlook for the global economy, growth in sub-Saharan Africa is set to strengthen to 5.5%, according to the IMF's latest forecast for the region. But growth patterns vary within the region.

In recent years, commodity prices have been riding high, and many commodity dependent countries have benefited from these high prices. But this boon is unlikely to last forever: prices may fall, and nations can run out of key commodities.

When a country shifts from being largely based on agrarian economy, to being based on services, or industry, it is said to have undergone structural change. This was the basis of economic development in many Asian countries. Harvard's Dani Rodrik explains why structural change is so critical to development.…

Bien qu'une croissance mondiale de 3,3 % soit prévue cette année, et de 4 % en 2014, la santé de l'économie mondiale est mitigée. Blanchard, économiste en chef au FMI, explique que, si nous avons passé le pire, les dirigeants ne peuvent toujours pas se permettre de relâcher leur effort.

Although global growth is expected to reach 3.3% this year, and 4% in 2014, the health of the world's economy is mixed. Olivier Blanchard, Chief Economist at the IMF explains that although the worst is behind us, policymakers still can't afford to relax.

Dans le processus de développement, les pays subissent des changements structurels. Autrement dit, leurs priorités économiques évoluent d'un secteur à l'autre. Ils diversifient leurs produits

When you want to get a better job or achieve personal development, you might choose to increase your skills. This might mean learning something new, or acquiring more education. It's the same with countries, if they want to climb up the ladder of development, they need to develop their capacity, or "capabilities," says top economist Ricardo Hausman…

In the last two decades, many low-income countries have experienced economic take off. But in the 60s and 70s, many of these same countries already boasted robust economic performances, until it all came to an abrupt stop. Can low-income countries keep on growing, this time?

تأخرت بلدان منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا عن اللحاق بركب اقتصادات الأسواق الصاعدة والبلدان النامية في مجالي النمو الاقتصادي والتجارة على مدار العقدين الماضيين، ولم تكن التجارة في هذه البلدان بمثابة المحرك القوي للنمو مقارنة بالبلدان الأخرى. تركز مقالة في عدد مجلة التمويل والتنمية لصندوق النقد الدولي على هذه المستويات المنخفضة في التجارة في المنط…

Les subventions énergétiques jouent un rôle important dans de nombreuses régions du monde. Elles peuvent aider les pauvres en facilitant leur accès à l'énergie. Toutefois, une nouvelle étude du FMI indique que ces subventions ont souvent des conséquences imprévues.

In many countries, governments often subsidize the energy sector keeping the price of power lower than it might otherwise be. The aim is to protect the poor by keeping prices low. But, a new study by the International Monetary Fund suggests that these subsidies don't always have the desired effect.

Supporters of globalization say that globalization creates growth by encouraging people and countries to interact and trade with each other across national borders. But, has the focus on international integration caused policymakers to overlook the need to integrate their national economies?

Sub-Saharan economies might be performing well now, but not so long ago, they were mired in debt. During the 70's, many of them borrowed money to unsustainable levels and found themselves unable to service their debt. Joly explains how they got out of their predicament.

Les pays d'Afrique subsaharienne enregistrent de bons résultats aujourd'hui, mais il n'y a pas si longtemps, ils étaient surendettés. Dans les années 70, beaucoup d'entre eux ont emprunté dans des proportions intenables et se sont trouvés dans l'incapacité de repayer leur dette.

The euro area may be the world's largest and most well-known regional currency union, but the Eastern Caribbean Economic and Currency Union is an interesting microcosm of its larger European counterpart. The two could learn lessons from each other, suggests an IMF economist.

The 1944 Bretton Woods conference laid the foundations of the modern international monetary system, but little was known about the exact proceedings of that historic gathering, until now. A U.S. treasury economist's discovery of the original transcript of that meeting provides an insight into the characters and the intense debate surrounding the bi…

Fiscal policy—or the way a government taxes, spends and borrows money—can have a huge impact on reducing inequality. But according to a recent IMF study, that impact has been shrinking over the past decade, as governments scale back social benefits, and make income taxes less progressive.

Un état est considéré fragile lorsqu'il souffre d'instabilité politique et économique, de pauvreté, qu'il se prête au trafic humain, qu'il est ravagé par les maladies ou qu'il subit tous ces fléaux à la fois. Mais comment identifier un état fragile et quelles politiques les états fragiles peuvent-ils mener pour devenir des nations pleinement opérat…

The features of a fragile state can include political and economic instability, poverty, civil disorder, terrorism, human trafficking, disease, or all of these. But how to identify a fragile state, and what policies can fragile states pursue to become fully functioning nations?

Over the past several decades, advanced economies, especially the United States, have seen a striking rise in inequality. David Autor of MIT, argues that trend is driven by rapidly developing technology, which has made highly educated workers much more valuable, and which is pushing others out of jobs.…

Dans le dernier rapport sur les Perspectives de l'économie mondiale, le FMI prévoit une croissance de 3,5 % cette année. Dans ce podcast, Mr. Blanchard explique qu'en dépit de l'amélioration des perspectives, les dirigeants doivent s'attaquer aux risques qui pèsent sur l'économie mondiale.

The global economy is set to strengthen gradually in 2013, but risks remain. In the latest update to its World Economic Outlook, the IMF projects growth will be 3.5% this year. In this podcast, the IMF chief economist explains that despite the brighter outlook, policymakers need to address risks to the global economy.…

Durant ces dernières années, l'évolution en dents de scie des cours des matières premières a porté atteinte à de nombreuses régions, et notamment à l'Afrique subsaharienne. Le sort des pays de la région est en effet intimement lié aux fluctuations de ces prix. Que peuvent donc faire les pays pour se protéger contre ces chocs?…

World leaders have avoided a collapse of the global economy, but they must now follow through with reforms to avoid a relapse into crisis, says Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF.

Selon Acemoglu, la pauvreté ou la prospérité d'une nation sont sans doute autant l'affaire de la politique que de l'économie. Il avance que les pays plus démocratiques dotés d'institutions politiques «inclusives» parviennent à créer et à entretenir la prospérité, tandis que les régimes «extractifs» autoritaires mènent à la pauvreté.…

In the second part of our series on social safety nets in sub-Saharan Africa, we look at practice on the ground. In Burkina Faso, the IMF is working with the government to develop targeted welfare programs. The aim is to identify and help the most vulnerable. But it is still a work-in-progress.

Globally, over 200 million people are unemployed, according to the IMF. Many European markets and emerging markets are suffering double-digit jobless rates, and youth and long-term unemployment are at alarming levels. What skills then do job seekers in a global labor market need to succeed?