IMF Conference

The Peterson Institute for International Economics will cohost with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) the release of an important and timely new IMF staff paper titled “Fiscal Policy and Income Inequality” on Thursday, March 13. Mr. David Lipton, the IMF’s First Deputy Managing Director, will present the paper and its conclusions, followed by discussion from Dr. Nancy Birdsall, President of the Center for Global Development; and Prof. Robert Z. Lawrence, PIIE non-resident Senior Fellow.

Fiscal policy is the primary tool with which governments affect income distribution. Rising income inequality in both advanced and developing economies has coincided with growing public support for income redistribution. This comes at a time when fiscal restraint is an important priority in many economies. This paper helps contribute to the debate by assessing country experience with different fiscal instruments for redistribution. It also provides options for the reform of expenditure and tax policies to help achieve distributive objectives in an efficient manner that is consistent with fiscal sustainability.

Panelists

Nancy Birdsall, the Founding President of the Center for Global Development.

Robert Z. Lawrence, Albert L. Williams Professor of Trade and Investment at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

David Lipton, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF

Moderator

Adam Posen, President of the Peterson Institute for International Economics