Gallagher Participates in CSIS Panel
On September 23, 2020, Kevin Gallagher, Professor of Global Development Policy and Director of the Global Development Policy Center at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, participated in a virtual panel discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The event was titled “The Effects of Covid-19 on Latin America and the Economic Outlook.”
The event kicked off with a discussion with Geoffrey Okamoto, First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund. This was followed by the panel discussion featuring Gallagher, Chris Campbell, Chief Strategist at Duff & Phelps Institute, and Samar Maziad, Vice President and Senior Analyst, Sovereign Risk Group at Moody’s Investors Service. The panel explored how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the economic outlook in Latin America.
During his remarks, Gallagher explained the extreme need in Latin America for fiscal space, now more than ever. He went on to say that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and G20 aren’t doing enough to support economic recovery in the region, and there are a number of things they need to consider and take action on:
- Establish a new allocation of special drawing rates at the IMF.
- Expand the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) to the middle income countries in the region and to small island indebted countries susceptible to climate change.
- Increase engagement with the private sector to facilitate meaningful participation in these efforts.
A recording of the event is available below.
To read more of Gallagher’s publications on this topic, read about his publications in China Dialogue and De Gruyter.
Kevin Gallagher is a professor of global development policy at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, where he directs the Global Development Policy Center. He is author or co-author of six books, including most recently, The China Triangle: Latin America’s China Boom and the Fate of the Washington Consensus. Read more about him here.