IMF message: Interconnectedness needs to be preserved

IMF’s David Lipton emphasized the importance of interconnectedness and urged those who ask for it to be open to addressing the legitimate concerns of people who are feeling displaced.

Lipton also added that the members were more optimistic because growth has been recovering and the momentum of the global economy has been improving. He also explained that the membership was a little concerned whether the economic risks, the political and geopolitical risks might undermine, or even derail the recovery.

David emphasized that the Fund’s message on growth is a two-part message: Steps need to be taken that will strengthen and protect the growth momentum, and it should not be assumed that this growth will continue if the discontent around interconnectedness is intensified. Therefore, the IMF has been focusing on subjects like gender and other forms of inclusion, dealing with inequality, and many other subjects needed to address the negative side-effects of interconnectedness for retaining the social and political consensus.

Regarding anti-globalization, Lipton said that it is clear that advanced economies are experiencing the discontent more than emerging economies because in those countries there have been winners and losers.

The ultimate message of the Fund is that we do need to preserve interconnectedness, but those who ask for it, have to be open to addressing the legitimate concerns of people who are feeling displaced and threatened by the change in their countries and markets. At the same time, the advanced economy countries have to recognize how important continued interconnectedness is to the rest of the world.