Make the world’s money go ‘round: a bunged-up IMF
The Intelligence from The Economist
The Economist
4.5 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 13 April 2023
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The International Monetary Fund is sitting on oodles of cash, but failing to disburse it. We examine why China’s lending practices are putting the IMF on a path to irrelevance. Climate change is already squeezing farmers in Latin America; some outright crazy agricultural policies are making matters worse. And reasons not to ban a well-known workplace species: the “talented jerk”.
For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the Intelligence from the Economist. I'm your host, Jason Palmer. |
| 0:09.4 | Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world. |
| 0:18.3 | As climate change starts to bite in Latin America, some farmers will be forced to change |
| 0:23.1 | the crops they grow, or how they grow them. Some will give up and head north. We look |
| 0:28.8 | at the risks ahead and the policies that would help to navigate them. |
| 0:34.2 | And you've probably worked with one. They get the job done, but they're just not pleasant |
| 0:38.9 | people. We examine the phenomenon of talented jerks and find that actually it would be |
| 0:44.8 | a mistake to ban them from the workplace altogether. |
| 0:55.7 | The International Monetary Fund, one of the world's foremost economic institutions, set |
| 1:09.6 | out its predictions for the global economy earlier this week. |
| 1:13.2 | The global economy remains on track for a gradual recovery from the pandemic and Russia's |
| 1:18.3 | war on Ukraine. China's reopened economy is rebounding strongly. Supply chain disruptions |
| 1:24.6 | are unwinding, while the dislocations to energy and food markets caused by the war |
| 1:29.9 | are receding. Inflation, the IMF said we'll start to come under control. Slowly, growth |
| 1:36.4 | will be weak in rich countries, but signs of recession appear to be waning. The IMF |
| 1:42.3 | is trusted, relied on the world over, as a key economic forecaster. But in its other |
| 1:48.2 | more important role, it's struggling. |
| 1:51.0 | The related news, the IMF, has agreed to provide Egypt with emergency aid. This fund is |
| 1:56.7 | offering a $3 billion loan. It is to help the nation. |
| 1:59.7 | For years, the IMF has been the lender of last resort. |
| 2:03.3 | The IMF has ended two years' speculation and agreed to another bailout for Greece. The |
| 2:08.2 | fund says it has approved in principle to the world's most indebted and most distressed |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Economist, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Economist and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.