Public Spending on Health Care under IMF-Supported Programs

By Sanjeev Gupta and Baoping Shang

Versions in Français (French),  Português (Portuguese), and Español (Spanish)

Government policies matter when it comes to public health. And when a country’s economy is suffering a severe economic crisis, the decisions become even more critical.  Over the past few decades, protecting social programs and spending on health has been a cornerstone of the IMF’s support for countries. 

Chart of the Week: More Women, More Growth

By iMFdirect

International Women’s Day and the United States’ February jobs report are both coming up this week. So, we decided today’s chart should focus on women and work.

Around the world, women seeking employment face barriers—from legal hurdles to disincentives like lower wages. Leveling the playing field could bring significant benefits. 

Chart of the Week: For India, Toilets Bring Benefits

By iMFdirect

Improving access to sanitation, an important Sustainable Development Goal, is essential for achieving gender equality and economic prosperity. It leads to increased female participation in the workforce, higher literacy and faster economic growth, according to the IMF’s latest research on India. 

The Dizzy Pace of Change: Thomas Friedman Has a Recipe to Thrive

by iMFdirect

New York Times columnist and best-selling author Thomas Friedman says our lives are being transformed in so many realms at once—it’s dizzying.

“We’re in the middle of 3 accelerations; the market, mother nature, and Moore’s law. Moore’s law says the power of microchips will double every 24 months, mother nature is climate change, biodiversity loss and population, and the market is digital globalization.”

Why Productivity Growth is Faltering in Aging Europe and Japan

By iMFdirect

Many countries are experiencing a combination of declining birth rates and increasing longevity. In other words, their populations are aging. And graying populations pose serious issues for people, policymakers, and society. 

The Euro Area Workforce is Aging, Costing Growth

By Shekhar Aiyar, Christian Ebeke, and Xiaobo Shao

Versions in Français (French), and Español (Spanish)

In parallel to the aging of the general population, the workforce in the euro area is also growing older. This could cause productivity growth to decline in the years ahead, raising another policy challenge for governments already dealing with legacies from the crisis such as high unemployment and debt. 

The Overwhelming Case for a Carbon Tax in China

By Ian Parry and Philippe Wingender

Version in 中文 (Chinese)

A single policy could do it all for China. A carbon tax—an upstream tax on the carbon content of fossil fuel supply—could dramatically cut greenhouse gases, save millions of lives, soothe the government’s fiscal anxieties, and boost green growth.

Countries Are Signing Up for Sizeable Carbon Prices

By Ian Parry

Versions in: عربي Arabic, 中文 Chinese, Français French, 日本語 Japanese,  Русский Russian, and Español Spanish

With global leaders set to start signing the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change tomorrow—April 22 is Earth Day—at the United Nations in New York, countries will embark on the potentially difficult and contentious issue of setting prices for greenhouse gas emissions, most importantly carbon dioxide (CO₂). Our back of the envelope calculations show that most large emitters will need to charge anywhere from $50 to $100 per ton or more (in current prices) by 2030 to meet their commitments to reduce carbon emissions.