This past weekend in Washington DC, as the economic leaders of 187 countries gathered for the Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, the mood was tense. The world’s finance ministers and central bank governors were concerned because the global recovery is fragile. And, on top of the risks to the outlook, there is concern that the strong international cooperation that was shown during the crisis is in danger of receding.
So, after the meetings, was the atmosphere less tense? Yes…and no. The world made some progress over the weekend. But we shouldn’t be too self-congratulatory. We are not yet out of the woods. The IMF’s analysis indicates that improved economic policy coordination, over the next five years, could increase global growth by 2.5 percent, create or save 30 million jobs, and lift 33 million more out of poverty. With such high potential returns, can we really afford each to go our own way?
Filed under: Advanced Economies, Annual Meetings, G-20, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Multilateral Cooperation, عربي | Tagged: Annual Meetings, balanced and sustainable growth, cooperation, cross-border linkages, currency wars, double dip, financial sector reform, fiscal sustainability, G-20, global recovery, governance, IMF quotas, IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings, IMFC, International Monetary and Financial Committee, jobs, policy coordination, spillovers, unemployment | 10 Comments »
