Esther Duflo, Professor of Development Economics at MIT, co-founded The Poverty Lab to find innovative approaches to poverty alleviation. In this podcast, Duflo says she became an economist specifically to study poverty. “I came to #economics once I realized it was a powerful way to make a difference in the life of poor people.”

IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde tells CNN that Europe cannot be complacent over growth and jobs.

Taxes are what governments rely on to provide the public goods and services that support economic growth. In this podcast, DG DEVCO’s Klaus Rudischhauser, says some countries with millions of inhabitants have only a few hundred tax payers. Rudischhauser participated in a seminar on Capacity Development entitled Collect More & Spend Better Contributors: Klaus Rudischhauser, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO)

When world leaders ponder ways to boost growth, reduce inequality, and improve living standards, they might want to think about why empowering women makes economic sense. #women #gender

While oil prices have stabilized somewhat in recent months, there are good reasons to believe they won’t return to the high levels that preceded their historic collapse two years ago. For one thing, shale oil production has permanently added to supply at lower prices. For another, demand will be curtailed by slower growth in emerging markets and global efforts to cut down on carbon emissions. It all adds up to a “new normal” for oil.