Category: FINANCIAL STABILITY

Critical Challenges in Realizing the Energy Transition: An Overview of Indian States

Over the next few decades, India will undergo a significant energy transition to meet climate goals, with a steady reduction in the share of fossil fuels in its energy portfolio. This transition will have many different impacts, including on government revenues, investments and potential loss of fossil fuel-based assets and employment. A March 2022 study […]

No Voice for the Vulnerable: Climate Change and the Need for Quota Reform at the IMF

In 2021, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) committed to incorporate climate-related issues into its operations and is in the process of developing frameworks and policies. The IMF’s governance structure will impact the decision-making process on how these frameworks will be developed, with a quota system based on countries’ economic share determining formal voting power. Concurrently, […]

Climate Physical Risk, Transition Spillovers and Fiscal Stability: An Application to Barbados

The 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscored that climate impacts will be significant and differ widely across countries, with developing economies far more exposed to the negative impacts of chronic and acute physical risk. Beyond climate physical risks, countries can also be negatively affected by a disorderly introduction of […]

Meeting the Moment: The IMF, Debt-For-Climate Swaps and Development

The level of debt distress among emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) has been a concern even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is now a burgeoning consensus that a full-blown debt crisis may loom on the horizon. Even without a widespread crisis, the increasing number of countries who are losing their fiscal space jeopardizes […]

Indices of Sustainability of Fiscal Policy Among the V20

In 2021, the Vulnerable Group of Twenty (V20) made a call for debt flexibility, invoking insufficient fiscal resources to finance responses to health and social crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as urgent investments in climate adaptation. The service of public debt crowds out crucial investments that countries require to climate-proof their economies and establish […]

An Analysis of the IMF’s International Carbon Price Floor Proposal

World leaders are facing a shrinking window to enact ambitious climate policies, as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) alone will not be enough to remain below the 2C global warming threshold. With the goal of enhancing global climate action, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has proposed an international carbon price floor (ICPF) arrangement, developed from the […]

V20 Debt Review: An Account of Debt in the Vulnerable Group of Twenty

The Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group of Finance Ministers, a dedicated initiative of 55 climate vulnerable economies, is at the epicenter of looming debt and climate crises which are threatening their ability to build resilient and low-carbon economies. When scarce public finances are mostly spent on debt service rather than on investments to build a more resilient […]

GDP Center Round-Up: Think20 (T20) Indonesia Summit 2022

By Samantha Igo On September 4-6, 2022, leading experts and policymakers will gather in Bali, Indonesia for the Think20 (T20) 2022 Summit to discuss the latest research-based policy recommendations and matters of global importance. More than 600 authors have worked on policy briefs to deliver policy options to Group of 20 (G20) leaders on three […]

The Role of the IMF in Facilitating Green Energy Transitions

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report underscored the need to reach net-zero emissions globally by mid-century to preserve a credible pathway to limit warming to 1.5C, with 135 countries have pledged carbon neutrality thus far. However, net-zero growth trajectories will entail a fundamental shift in the composition of the global economy, especially […]

Supporting Energy Transitions and COVID-19 Recovery: The Role of International Financial Institutions

The need to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic has given developing countries the opportunity to embark on an energy transition that supports green growth while rebuilding and reenergizing their economies. However, the divergent paces of economic recovery between advanced economies and developing countries are creating a challenging macroeconomic situation. In particular, interest rate hikes may […]