IMF SEMINARS
LIVE STREAM Available On: October 10, 2014 @ 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM (ET)
A significant number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa have seen rapid economic growth over the past decade.
However, in a number of countries, the fruits of economic growth have not been well-shared and income inequality has increased. Following up on the central theme of the Africa Rising conference in Mozambique, making growth more inclusive, this seminar organized jointly by AFR and FAD would address the role of fiscal policy in reducing inequality in low-income countries, with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Conventional wisdom has been that in LICs, low levels of both tax revenue and social spending limit the redistributive impact of fiscal policy.
This seminar will discuss that view against the background of recent successes in LICs at broadening tax bases, the introduction of social transfer systems, and the availability of new technologies, such as mobile banking, which are offering new avenues for fiscal policies to become more redistributive. Panelists would include LIC policy makers from SSA and other regions.