Economic Policy and Equity

During the past decade, income gaps have widened in many parts of the world, industrial as well as developing. These have heightened concern about equity issues in economic policymaking. Equity and growth can be complementary: investment in human capital, for example, can boost growth in the long run. But choices are not always so easy. If growth and equity do not go hand in hand, when and how should governments ensure that the size of the pie increases and that everybody gets a fair share? This volume brings together the views not only of senior policymakers and academics but also of religious leaders and labor leaders from around the world who participated in an unprecedented IMF conference on the topic in June 1998. Contents include: Stanley Fischer, A View from the IMF IMF Fiscal Affairs Department, Should Equity Be a Goal of Economic Policy? Amartya Sen, Economic Policy and Equity: An Overview Anthony Atkinson, Equity Issues in a Globalizing World: The Experience of OECD Countries Lawrence Summers, Equity in a Global Economy Equity-Oriented Policymaking: Country Experience Eduardo Aninat and others, Addressing Equity Issues in Policymaking: Grzegorz Kolodko, Equity Issues in Policymaking in Transition Economies Anibal Cavaco Silva, Political Economy and the Equity-Policy Agenda Alberto Alesina, Too Large and Too Small Governments Enrique Iglesias, Equity Issues in Latin America Vito Tanzi is director of the Fiscal Affairs Department of the IMF. Ke-young Chu is a senior advisor and Sanjeev Gupta is a division chief in the department. An International Monetary Fund Book