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IMF deputy director to address China’s economic outlook at Shenandoah University event

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shenandoah uDr. Markus Rodlauer, deputy director of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Asia and Pacific Department (APD), will speak at Shenandoah University’s Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, in Halpin-Harrison Hall, Stimpson Auditorium on the campus of Shenandoah University.

The event is free and open to the public, and is part of the ongoing Distinguished Lecture Series sponsored by the school of business. Light refreshments are provided.

Rodlauer, who has been with the IMF for more than 10 years, will present “China at a Crossroads – Reform and Rebalance, or else…?,” which will address China’s economic outlook and policy challenges in the global context, and will give a practical look at the IMF’s work with China. A question and answer session will follow.

“The mission of the Byrd School of Business is to produce successful, principled leaders, with a global perspective,” said Dean of the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business Miles Davis, Ph.D. “Having Dr. Rodlauer as a part of our Distinguished Lecture Series helps us fulfill that mission. His experience with the IMF and working in China gives him a unique perspective that we are honored to have and offer to Shenandoah University and the greater community.”

According to Rodlauer, the resilience of China’s economy since the 2008 financial crisis has given a welcome boost to global demand, and good progress has been made in rebalancing China’s external accounts. However, he notes that “according to the latest International Monetary Fund report on China’s economy, the pattern of economic activity has become too reliant on investment and credit, with growing domestic vulnerabilities in the financial sector, local government finances, and real estate.”

“The resulting questions surrounding China’s economic outlook — in particular, whether a ‘hard landing’ of the economy is imminent, and whether and how China can ‘rebalance’ successfully — reverberate globally, given China’s meteoric rise over the past three decades to become the second-largest economy in the world,” added Rodlauer.

Rodlauer’s presentation will include information about the latest economic developments in China; the IMF’s recommendations to the new government that took office in late 2013 to secure a more sustainable economic growth path; and practical look at how the IMF China team goes about its work.

In his position with the IMF, Rodlauer heads the fund’s China team, which has conducted the annual Article IV Consultations with the People’s Republic of China in recent years. His previous jobs at the fund included Deputy Director of Human Resources, Deputy Director in the Western Hemisphere Department, mission chief for a number of countries in Asia, Europe, South America, and IMF Resident Representative to Poland and the Philippines.

Rodlauer worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria before joining the IMF. His academic training includes degrees in law, economics and international relations. He received his degrees from BEA Saalfelden, the University of Innsbruck, the Diplomatic Academy Vienna, and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

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