Latin America’s Twin Challenges—Increasing Rate of Growth and Managing Volatility

Posted on March 27, 2011 by iMFdirect

By Dominique Strauss-Kahn

(Version in Español)

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to discuss Latin America’s regional outlook with government leaders, parliamentarians, and university students in Brazil, Panama, and Uruguay.

The key conclusion that I took away from these meetings is that Latin America faces two principal economic challenges: to increase the sustainable rate of economic growth and to reduce the volatility of growth.

In my meeting in Calgary on March 26 with Finance Ministers of the region, I focused on the second challenge so that favorable conditions today do not come at the expense of a bust tomorrow.

It’s a nice coincidence that this meeting of Finance Ministers of the Americas and the Caribbean was held here in Calgary. Canada is a good example of “managing the good times,” but as in many countries across the globe, some challenges remain. (more…)

Filed under: Economic Crisis, Economic outlook, Employment, Español, Fiscal Stimulus, Globalization, growth, Latin America | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Latin America: Making the Good Times Better

Posted on February 25, 2011 by iMFdirect

By Dominique Strauss-Kahn

(Version in Español, Português)

Latin America has enjoyed tremendous economic dynamism and a rising quality of life in recent years. But, faced with new challenges, the question is: how best to sustain this progress?

As I travel through the region this week—visiting Panama, Uruguay, and Brazil—I’m looking forward to hearing the views of government officials, parliamentarians, and university students on the key challenges facing their countries today. Here are three questions that I look forward to discussing during my trip. (more…)

Filed under: Economic Crisis, Emerging Markets, growth, International Monetary Fund, Latin America, Low-income countries | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

All Eyes on Paris and the G-20

Posted on February 18, 2011 by iMFdirect

By iMFdirect

Certainly the world did not end in 2008 with the collapse of Lehman and the crisis that followed. But, it didn’t mostly—perhaps only—because extraordinary international policy cooperation helped avert a far worse outcome.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn

… the G-20 has now to adapt to a new economic environment. It must prove that it is able to coordinate the economic policies of major economies on an ongoing basis.
French G-20 Presidency

G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors gather in Paris for their first ministerial level meeting of France’s G-20 presidency at a critical juncture (more…)

Filed under: Economic outlook, Employment, G-20, Global Governance, Globalization, International Monetary Fund, Multilateral Cooperation | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

IMF—Delivering on Promises to Africa

Posted on March 7, 2010 by iMFdirect

By Dominique Strauss-Kahn,

Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund

This week, I’m on my third visit to sub-Saharan Africa within a year. And what a difference a year has made!

This time last year, Africa was swept up into the vortex of the global financial crisis. The global recession struck Africa through several channels—exports collapsed, banks ran into trouble as non-performing loans grew, and investment diminished. Average growth in sub-Saharan Africa fell to 2 percent in 2009 from 5.6 percent the previous year.

But improved policies in the face of the crisis helped the continent get through the storm better than expected and at the IMF we anticipate that Africa will see a relatively quick recovery, with average growth bouncing back to 4½ percent this year and 5½ percent in 2011. African countries were able to take appropriate measures to mitigate the turbulence because policies before the crisis were good, allowing them to build reserves, cut debt, and open up fiscal space to combat the recession.

(more…)

Filed under: Africa, concessional lending, Economic Crisis, Financial Crisis, Fiscal Stimulus, growth, IMF, LICs, Low-income countries, recession | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Why We Need a “Marshall Plan” for Haiti

Posted on January 22, 2010 by iMFdirect

By Dominique Strauss-Kahn,

Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund

The saddening and horrific pictures from Haiti after its devastating earthquake brought back vivid memories for me. I lived through an earthquake when I was a young boy in Morocco, and I know how harrowing it is. At that time, there were forty thousand casualties—nothing close to what has happened in Haiti—but I still recall the traumatic scenes of collapsed buildings and mourning families.

Haiti has now been devastated on a far larger scale. The earthquake—the worst in the region in more than 200 years—is the latest in a series of natural and manmade disasters that have, over the years, turned the Caribbean country into the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Some 80 percent of its nine million people live below the poverty line.

(more…)

Filed under: concessional lending, IMF, International Monetary Fund, LICs, Low-income countries, Multilateral Cooperation | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

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