Seizing the Moment – Thinking Beyond the Crisis: A Conversation with IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde

On April 12, Global Economy and Development at Brookings hosted the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, for a conversation on global economic policy priorities ahead of the IMF-World Bank 2012 Spring Meetings. Managing Director Lagarde discussed the state of the global economy and the actions needed—by policymakers around the world and the IMF—to keep the recovery on track and create the building blocks for future growth and prosperity.

Managing Director Lagarde joined the International Monetary Fund after serving as France’s minister of finance for five years. She joined the French government in June 2005 as minister for foreign trade. In June 2007, she became the first woman to hold the post of finance and economy minister of a G-7 country. As a member of the G-20, Managing Director Lagarde was involved in the group’s management of the financial crisis, helping to foster international policies related to financial supervision and regulation and to strengthen global economic governance. As chairperson of the G-20 when France took over its presidency for 2011, she launched a wide-ranging work agenda on the reform of the international monetary system.

Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution, provided introductory remarks. After the program, Managing Director Lagarde took audience questions. Kemal Derviş, vice president and director of Global Economy and Development, moderated.