Finance & Development, March 2020

Finance & Development, March 2020 PDF

Author: International Monetary Fund. Communications Department

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2020-03-02

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 1513528831

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This issue of Finance & Development discusses link between demographics and economic well-being. In the coming decades, demographics is expected to be more favorable to economic well-being in the less developed regions than in the more developed regions. The age structure of a population reflects mainly its fertility and mortality history. In high-mortality populations, improved survival tends to occur disproportionately among children. The “demographic dividend” refers to the process through which a changing age structure can spur economic growth. It depends, of course, on several complex factors, including the nature and pace of demographic change, the operation of labor and capital markets, macroeconomic management and trade policies, governance, and human capital accumulation. Population aging is the dominant demographic trend of the twenty-first century—a reflection of increasing longevity, declining fertility, and the progression of large cohorts to older ages. Barring a change in current trends, the industrial world’s working-age population will decline over the next generation, and China’s working-age population will decline as well. At the same time, trends toward increased labor force participation of women have played out with, for example, more women than men now working in the United States.

The Political Economy of Financial Development in Malaysia

The Political Economy of Financial Development in Malaysia PDF

Author: Lena Rethel

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-12-20

Total Pages: 99

ISBN-13: 0429647387

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Current inquiries into the political economy of financial policymaking in Malaysia tend to focus on the high-level drama of crisis politics or simply point to the limited impact of post-crisis financial reforms, given that politico-business relations have remained close. In so doing, pundits ignore a number of intriguing questions: what is the relationship between financial development and financialisation and how has it played out in the Malaysian context? And more generally: how can a country like Malaysia become significantly more financially developed, yet fail to emancipate the financial system from political control; a core element of the financial development discourse? To unravel the complexities of this puzzle, this book subjects the history and contemporary practices of financial policymaking in Malaysia to scrutiny. It argues that to understand financial development in Malaysia, its progress and reversals, it is important to conceptualise it as a political, rather than a merely technical process. In so doing, the book echoes a more profound concern in the political economy literature, namely the evolving relationship between states and markets, and the supposed retreat or reassertion of the state at a time of increasing (financial) globalisation. The book can generate further insights into the evolving role of the state with regard to broader processes of development and marketisation, as they relate specifically to finance.

Banking Reforms in Africa

Banking Reforms in Africa PDF

Author: Agnes Olatokunbo Martins

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-06-28

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 1040085865

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This book comprehensively explores the intricate relationship between banking reforms, economic well-being, and poverty reduction across the African continent. Delving into the historical roots of banking reforms, it examines the resilience of banking sectors in key African countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, MENA, and beyond. The findings suggest that much attention should be paid to the design of banking systems and how banks are regulated. This focus on banks differs from many discussions on the topic, which tend to be more concerned with other policy areas such as economic policy, international trade policy, and aid. The book’s extensive and contemporary overview of banking reforms enables a comparative analysis of regulatory frameworks, supervision practices, and government interventions. It evaluates theoretical frameworks linking banking reforms to bank stability and resilience, drawing on financial intermediation, resource allocation, systemic risk, and financial development concepts. It empirically tests the causal relationships between the Basel II/III capital reforms, bank sector resilience, economic growth, and poverty reduction and identifies and analyses the channels and mechanisms through which banking reforms affect economic welfare and poverty reduction in Africa, such as credit availability, financial efficiency, financial innovation, and financial access. The book offers an insightful exploration into a brighter economic future on the African continent. The findings presented herein offer valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners striving to enhance financial stability, foster economic growth, and alleviate poverty in Africa.

The Future of Money

The Future of Money PDF

Author: Eswar S. Prasad

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2021-09-28

Total Pages: 497

ISBN-13: 0674258444

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A cutting-edge look at how accelerating financial change, from the end of cash to the rise of cryptocurrencies, will transform economies for better and worse. We think weÕve seen financial innovation. We bank from laptops and buy coffee with the wave of a phone. But these are minor miracles compared with the dizzying experiments now underway around the globe, as businesses and governments alike embrace the possibilities of new financial technologies. As Eswar Prasad explains, the world of finance is at the threshold of major disruption that will affect corporations, bankers, states, and indeed all of us. The transformation of money will fundamentally rewrite how ordinary people live. Above all, Prasad foresees the end of physical cash. The driving force wonÕt be phones or credit cards but rather central banks, spurred by the emergence of cryptocurrencies to develop their own, more stable digital currencies. Meanwhile, cryptocurrencies themselves will evolve unpredictably as global corporations like Facebook and Amazon join the game. The changes will be accompanied by snowballing innovations that are reshaping finance and have already begun to revolutionize how we invest, trade, insure, and manage risk. Prasad shows how these and other changes will redefine the very concept of money, unbundling its traditional functions as a unit of account, medium of exchange, and store of value. The promise lies in greater efficiency and flexibility, increased sensitivity to the needs of diverse consumers, and improved market access for the unbanked. The risk is instability, lack of accountability, and erosion of privacy. A lucid, visionary work, The Future of Money shows how to maximize the best and guard against the worst of what is to come.