Publications

International Economic Cooperation in Troubled Times: A Call for Strong Action by the G20

, , , , , , , and | 26 November 2018
Fiscal, Trade, Blog | Tags: Employment, G20, Investment, Protectionism, Services Trade, Tax Competition, Tax Expenditures
The leaders of the G20 will meet on 30 November and 1 December in Buenos Aires for their annual summit. They need to acknowledge that the last two years have been characterized by strong headwinds for the world economy. This time, however, it is not ... continue reading

Assessing Tax Expenditure Reporting in G20 and OECD Economies

and | 6 November 2018
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: G20, OECD, Tax Expenditures
Governments worldwide pursue public policy objectives through direct spending and tax expenditures (TEs). Interestingly though, and despite their significant impact on government budgets, TEs are opaque and very often not subject to the same level of scrutiny in the budget process as direct spending. This ... continue reading

Investor-State Dispute Settlement: An Anachronism Whose Time Has Gone

| 24 September 2018
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Investment, ISDS, Services Trade
Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) – a mechanism that allows foreign investors to bring claims against host governments to an international arbitral tribunal – is a postcolonial relic that should be abolished. ... continue reading

Central Banks Should Reflect Climate Risks in Monetary Policy Operations

| 10 September 2018
Monetary, Policy Briefs | Tags: Asset Purchases, Central Banks, Climate Risk, Collateral Framework
The transition to a low-carbon economy requires a shift in capital allocation from incumbent carbon-intensive technologies to new low-carbon technologies. Financial markets play a key role in this process: they influence firms’ investment costs and serve as reference point in investors’ decisions. Currently, there ... continue reading

Climate Change and Finance: What Role for Central Banks and Financial Regulators?

, , , , and | 7 September 2018
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Central Banks, Climate Change, Environment, Financial Regulation
Climate change poses risks to the financial system. Yet our understanding of these risks is still limited. As we explain in a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, central banks and financial regulators could contribute to the development of methodologies and modelling tools for ... continue reading

Mend It, Don´t End It: The case for upgrading the G20’s pledge on protectionism

, , , , , , , , , , , , , and | 3 September 2018
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Protectionism, Services Trade
Despite neutering the official monitoring of protectionism, unmistakable evidence assembled from state sources demonstrates that G20 members routinely violate their “no protectionism” pledge. ... continue reading

Mitigating the Adjustment Costs of International Trade

, , , , , , and | 3 September 2018
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Employment
The evidence demonstrating that nations gain from trade is overwhelming. However, trade liberalization can cause disruption to firms and workers, and its gains and losses are spread unevenly. ... continue reading

Are Tax Incentives in Nigeria Attracting Investment or Giving Away Revenue?

| 16 August 2018
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Tax Competition, Tax Expenditures
For over a decade, Nigeria, like so many developing countries, has been granting a number of tax incentives to multinational companies in a bid to attract foreign direct investment. Proponents of the incentives argue that the measures are vital to the development of the economy, ... continue reading

Green Fiscal Reform Was Not Invited to the G20’s Tango Show

| 1 August 2018
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Carbon Pricing, Climate Change, Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Latin America
The Argentine G20 presidency has three concrete priorities: jobs, infrastructure, and food security. Strikingly though, carbon pricing was not invited for Tango. Indeed, the absence of carbon pricing as well as green fiscal reform among the list of priorities within this year’s agenda jeopardizes the ... continue reading

The Sunday Program: International Tax Cooperation in the G20

| 20 July 2018
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: G20, Tax Competition, Tax Expenditures
Christine Lagarde suggested in a recent IMF Blog that G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors should concentrate their efforts on three fields when they meet in Buenos Aires on Sunday: global trade, emerging market vulnerabilities, and the impact of technology on jobs. International tax ... continue reading