Annual IMF Research Conferences
Every year, the Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference brings together economists from the academia, the public and the private sectors, think tanks, and other constituencies to discuss innovative research in economics and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policymakers.
The conference is open to the general public.
Last Updated: September 20, 2022
| 24th Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference - Global Interdependence This year’s conference will honor Ken Rogoff’s contributions to economic research and policy. Rogoff is the preeminent scholar of international economics. Prior to his current position as Professor of Economics and Maurits C. Boas Chair of International Economics at Harvard University, Rogoff held appointments at Princeton University, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During 2001–2003, Rogoff served as Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund. Rogoff is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Group of Thirty, and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. The conference will bring together an outstanding array of economists and policymakers, many of whom were Ken Rogoff’s students, colleagues, or collaborators. Mark Aguiar (Princeton University) will deliver the Mundell-Fleming Lecture. |
| 23rd Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference - The Global Economy: Looking Back, Moving Forward The International Monetary Fund will hold the 23rd Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington DC on November 10-11, 2022. The theme of this year's conference is -- The Global Economy: Looking Back, Moving Forward. The conference will provide a forum for discussing innovative research on a wide range of topics relevant to the global economy and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. |
| 22nd Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference - Toward an Inclusive and Resilient Recovery The IMF will hold the 22nd Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference virtually on November 4-5, 2021. It is over a year since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and there remains tremendous uncertainty around the evolution of the pandemic. Much depends on the outcome of the ongoing race between a mutating virus and multiple vaccines, and on the ability of policies to provide effective support until we are past this health crisis. |
| 21st Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference - Living in the Extreme: Economics of Pandemics, Climate Change and Tail Risks Extreme events pose enormous challenges to the global economy, as evidenced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the increased frequency of disasters due to climate change. During such events, historical patterns and conventional approaches become obsolete.In light of these challenges, this year's conference will focus on "Living in the Extreme: Economics of Pandemics, Climate Change and Tail Risks." This year's conference will be held virtually, November 5-6, 2020. |
| Twentieth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference - Debt: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly The International Monetary Fund will hold the Twentieth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington DC on November 7-8, 2019. Global debt has reached a new record, standing now at over 300 percent of world output. Not all debt is the same, nor is it evenly distributed across countries, regions or sectors. Debt can facilitate the expansion of productive investment, including the funds to repair and expand infrastructure necessary for continued economic growth. At the same time, debt overhang and increased debt service can leave economies vulnerable to rollover risk, sudden tightening of credit and even default. Given the prominence of higher debt across advanced, emerging, frontier markets as well as in low-income countries, this year's conference will focus on " Debt: The Good. The Bad. The Ugly," and will bring together researchers and policymakers to discuss innovative research in this area and facilitate the exchange of views. |
| Nineteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference on "International Spillovers and Cooperation" The International Monetary Fund will hold the Nineteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington DC on November 1-2, 2018.This year’s conference on “International Spillovers and Cooperation” will bring together researchers and policymakers to discuss innovative research in this area and facilitate the exchange of views. |
| Eighteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference: The Global Financial Cycle November 2-3, 2017 The International Monetary Fund will hold the Eighteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference on November 2–3, 2017 at its headquarters in Washington D.C. The theme of this year’s conference is “The Global Financial Cycle.†The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research from both within and outside the IMF, and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. Barry Eichengreen (University of California, Berkeley) will deliver the Mundell-Fleming Lecture. |
| 17th Annual Research Conference: Macroeconomics after the Great Recession, November 3-4, 2016 The theme of this year's conference is "Macroeconomics after the Great Recession." The conference will honor Olivier Blanchard’s contributions to economic research and policy. Blanchard, a citizen of France, spent most of his professional life in Cambridge, MA. After obtaining his PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1977, he taught at Harvard University, and returned to MIT in 1982. He was chair of the economics department from 1998 to 2003. In 2008, he became the economic counselor and director of the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund. Blanchard retired from the International Monetary Fund in September 2015 and joined the Peterson Institute for International Economics as the first C. Fred Bergsten Senior Fellow in October 2015. |
| Sixteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference: "Unconventional Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies" The International Monetary Fund will hold the Sixteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington DC on November 5-6, 2015. The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research in economics and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. The theme of this year's conference is "Unconventional Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies." |
| Cross-Border Spillovers: Fifteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference; November 13-14, 2014 Fifteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference; November 13-14, 2014: The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research in economics and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. The theme of this year’s conference is Cross-Border Spillovers |
| Fourteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference: Crises: Yesterday and Today, November 7-8, 2013 The International Monetary Fund will hold the Fourteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington DC on November 7-8, 2013. The theme of this year's conference is “Crises: Yesterday and Today.” The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research on a wide range of issues on crises and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. |
| Thirteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference: Labor Markets through the Lens of the Great Recession, November 8-9, 2012 The IMF will hold the Thirteenth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington DC on November 8-9, 2012. The theme of this year's conference is Labor Markets through the Lens of the Great Recession. The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. Peter Diamond (MIT) will deliver the Mundell-Fleming lecture. |
| Monetary and Macroprudential Policies, Twelfth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference, November 10-11, 2011 The IMF will hold the Twelfth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington DC on November 10-11, 2011. The theme of this year's conference is Monetary and Macroprudential Policies. The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. Hyun Song Shin (Princeton University) will deliver the Mundell-Fleming Lecture. |
| Jacques Polak Research Conference: Macroeconomic and Financial Policies after the Crisis, November 4-5, 2010 The International Monetary Fund will hold the Eleventh Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington DC on November 4-5, 2010. The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research in economics, undertaken by both IMF staff and by outside economists, and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. Anil Kashyap (University of Chicago Booth School of Business) will deliver the Mundell-Fleming lecture. |
| Jacques Polak Research Conference: Financial Frictions and Macroeconomic Adjustment, November 5-6, 2009 The International Monetary Fund held the Tenth Annual Jacques Polak Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington, DC, on November 5-6, 2009. The conference provided a forum for discussing innovative research in economics, undertaken both by IMF staff and by outside economists, and facilitated the exchange of views among researchers and policy makers. Ricardo J. Caballero (MIT) delivered the Mundell-Fleming lecture. |
| Macro-Financial Linkages — IMF Ninth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference, November 13–14, 2008 The International Monetary Fund will hold the Ninth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference (ARC) at its headquarters in Washington, DC, on November 13-14, 2008. The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research undertaken both by IMF staff and outside economists, and to facilitate an exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. The conference will feature research papers by prominent outside researchers as well as IMF economists, and Professor Jean Tirole will deliver the Mundell-Fleming Lecture. An Economic Forum will conclude the conference. |
| Exchange Rates -- Eighth Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference, November 15-16, 2007 The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research undertaken both by IMF staff and outside economists, and to facilitate an exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. The conference will feature research papers by prominent outside researchers as well as IMF economists, Mr. Stanley Fischer will deliver the Mundell-Fleming Lecture. An Economic Forum will conclude the conference. |
| Capital Flows -- Seventh IMF Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference, November 9-10, 2006 The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research in economics, undertaken both by IMF staff and by outside economists, and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policymakers. |
| Sixth IMF Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference: Reforms, November 3-4, 2005 The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research in economics, undertaken both by IMF staff and by outside economists, and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policy makers. |
| Fifth IMF Jacques Polak Annual Research Conference: Policies, Institutions, and Instability Washington, D.C., November 4-5, 2004 The International Monetary Fund will hold its Fifth Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington, DC, on November 4-5, 2004. The conference is intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research in international economics, undertaken both by IMF staff and by outside economists, and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policy makers. |
| Fourth Annual IMF Research Conference: Capital Flows and Macroeconomic Cycles, November 6-7, 2003 The International Monetary Fund held its Fourth Annual Research Conference at its headquarters in Washington, DC, November 6-7, 2003. The conference intended to provide a forum for discussing innovative research in international economics, undertaken both by IMF staff and by outside economists, and to facilitate the exchange of views among researchers and policy makers. This year's conference was devoted to Capital Flows and Macroeconomic Cycles, which can be interpreted broadly to include the interaction between macroeconomic fluctuations and international capital flows. |
| Third Annual IMF Research Conference: Capital Flows and Global Governance, November 7-8, 2002 The Third Annual Research Conference of the International Monetary Fund took place in Washington, DC, on November 7 and 8, 2002. Speakers included scholars from universities and other research institutions as well as young researchers in the Fund. This year's conference discussed capital flows and global governance. The Mundell-Fleming lecture was delivered by Guillermo Calvo, Chief Economist of the Inter-American Development Bank. A special issue of the IMF Staff Papers contains some papers presented at this conference |
| Second Annual IMF Research Conference -- November 29-30, 2001 This year's conference covered the economic consequences of large devaluations and currency crises, stabilization policies in emerging markets, and the political economy of economic reforms and IMF programs. The Mundell-Fleming lecture was delivered by the Fund's Chief Economist, Ken Rogoff, in honor of one of the pre-eminent scholars of modern international finance, Rudi Dornbusch. |
| First Annual IMF Research Conference -- November 9-10, 2000 The topics for this first conference include monetary and exchange rate policy in crisis situations, private sector involvement in crisis resolution, exchange-rate regimes and currency unions, and effects of adjustment programs. The Mundell-Fleming lecture was delivered this year by Prof. Maurice Obstfeld of the University of California, Berkeley. A Special Issue of the IMF Staff Papers, published in 2001 contains some papers presented at the conference. |