The IMF’s African Department (AFR), Asia and Pacific Department (APD), Institute for Capacity Development (ICD), and Middle East and Central Asia Department (MCD), in collaboration with the IMF Office of Innovation and Change (OIC), invite economics students to join the 2021 Fund Challenge.
Students currently enrolled in undergraduate degree programs in economics or a related field at an institution of higher learning in any AFR, APD or MCD member country1 are eligible to compete in the Fund Challenge. Pre‐ qualification requirements are as follows:
- Teams consist of two students per institution of higher learning.2 All students wishing to participate must register using the Fund Challenge Registration Site by May 5, 2021. Registration will require providing the contact information of a faculty member who can then verify the participant’s enrollment at an institution of higher learning in any AFR, APD, or MCD member country.
- Each team member must successfully complete ICD’s online Macroeconomic Diagnostics course (MDSx), between May 10 and June 30, 2021. The course is provided at no charge to participants, but students must separately register with edX. Students who wish to receive a course certificate must purchase a verified certificate from edX. The workload for the course is approximately 6–8 hours per week. Details on course access and technical requirements will be communicated on May 7, 2021.
- Teams who successfully complete the required online course will be asked to analyze a new case study developed by ICD. Each team will then submit a presentation that (a) describes the current economic situation in the case study, and (b) recommends policies to address the identified challenges.
- Presentations may be prepared in English or French and submitted in any format (MS PowerPoint is recommended), but please note that the MDSx course and new case study will only be available in English. The process and deadlines for submitting presentations will be communicated on August 4, 2021.
Finalist teams will have the opportunity to present virtually at the IMF annual meetings in October 2021. This is an opportunity to meet policy makers, academics, and civil society organizations from around the world. For questions or concerns, please contact IMF-FundChallenge@imf.org
