Over the past two years, the IMF staff has been developing a new multicountry macroeconomic model called the Global Economy Model (GEM). This paper explains why such a model is needed, how GEM differs from its predecessor model, and how the new features of the model can improve the IMF’s...

This paper looks at macroeconomic factors behind the current crisis. The first part looks at how global macroeconomic trends-including sustained strong growth, low real interest rates, and high saving rates-provided an environment conducive to increased financial risk-taking. The second part...

This paper looks at macroeconomic factors behind the current crisis. The first part looks at how global macroeconomic trends--including sustained strong growth, low real interest rates, and high saving rates--provided an environment conducive to increased financial risk-taking. The second part...

Over the past two years, the IMF staff has been developing a new multicountry macroeconomic model called the Global Economy Model (GEM). This paper explains why such a model is needed, how GEM differs from its predecessor model, and how the new features of the model can improve the IMF’s...