In the first week of February 2025, together with Prof. Marek Bryx, we visited the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where we could participate in important events and a series of meetings with key representatives of this prestigious institution. These talks allowed us to establish new contacts and identify specific areas of potential cooperation between SGH and IMF, including scientific activity and professional development of the university staff and students. The project of further cooperation will be coordinated by the International Centre of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics.
IMF FIRESIDE CHAT
We started our visit by participating in one of the key internal events of this international financial organisation – IMF Fireside Chat. The meeting, chaired by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, hosted this year’s winner of the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences (also referred to as the Nobel Prize in Economics), Professor Simon Johnson. The discussion focused on the impact of modern technologies on economic growth and the importance of inclusive and extractive institutions in the context of sharing the benefits from this growth. During the debate, we highlighted the risks associated with growing U.S. protectionism and drew attention to the need for strategic reorientation of Europe, including the Polish economic policy, as a response to changing global economic conditions.
EXPLORATION OF COOPERATION OPPORTUNITIES
We spent the rest of our visit at numerous working meetings at the IMF, during which we discussed potential areas of cooperation, including research cooperation with IMF economists dealing with Poland, which may lead to joint projects and analyses on the impact of economic policy on investments. At the same time, the IMF expressed its interest in organising specialist seminars for SGH doctoral students, which will facilitate their possible recruitment to the prestigious Economist Programme (EP).
We also considered the possibility of preparing and implementing training for IMF employees conducted by SGH experts. While in the context of institutionalisation of cooperation, there was a proposal to create a database of SGH experts, which would enable more efficient cooperation on projects carried out by the IMF.
During the talks, we paid particular attention to the issue of career development of our students and employees. We have reviewed the IMF recruitment programmes, such as the “Fund Internship Program (FIP) for PhD Students”, the “Research Analyst Program (RAP)” for graduate students, and the “Economist Program (EP) for PhDs”. The Fund also indicated the possibility of employing experienced experts in the fields of economics, finance, IT, law and communication.
An important element of cooperation may also be the joint data analysis as part of the IMF Data Hub initiative, which uses Big Data and administrative microdata for advanced economic analyses. We can jointly identify and analyse data available in Poland, using the resources of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics and national public institutions.
Thanks to the contact with representatives of IMF Publications, we also learned about the possibilities of publication in the prestigious IMF Economic Review, which is an attractive publication platform for SGH scientists dealing with global economics and macroeconomic issues.
To sum up, the visit to IMF created a solid foundation for the intensification of cooperation, which the International Centre of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics will develop and coordinate in the near future. We believe that this will bring significant benefits to our University and the Polish economy.
Habilitated Doctor MARIUSZ-JAN RADŁO, Professor at SGH, Head of the Global Economic Interdependence Department, Collegium of World Economy, SGH
