Macroeconomic Management in Resource-Rich Countries

Maksym Ivanyna is a Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund, where he specializes in applied macroeconomics, sustainable development, fiscal policy, governance, and climate change. His research has made significant contributions to understanding the relationships between corruption, economic growth, and public finance. He holds PhD degrees from both Michigan State University and the University of Regensburg. His influential work includes studies on decentralization and corruption, tax revenue performance in developing countries, and governance for inclusive growth. Ivanyna has published extensively in prestigious journals, with his research being cited over 1,000 times. His recent work focuses on climate action and inclusive growth strategies, including publications on the economic impacts of climate change and governance reforms. He has collaborated with various international organizations and contributed to policy development through his work on fiscal policy, corruption prevention, and economic resilience. His expertise spans multiple areas of economic development, from tax competition and governmental efficiency to climate change economics and structural reforms in emerging markets.

Diego Mesa Puyo serves as Deputy Head of the Climate Policy Division at the International Monetary Fund, where he has established himself as a global leader in energy transition and extractive industries policy. After earning his MA in Economics from McGill University and becoming a CFA charterholder in 2012, he has built an extraordinary career spanning public service, international finance, and energy policy. His journey includes serving as Colombia's Minister of Energy and Mines (2020-2022), where he led the country's energy transition, increasing renewable energy share from 1% to 12%. Prior to his ministerial role, he spent six years at the IMF (2013-2018) leading technical assistance missions across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America on fiscal matters related to extractive industries. His earlier experience includes managing roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Canada, focusing on economic consulting and financial analysis. Through his current role at the IMF and position as Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, he continues to shape global energy and climate policy while maintaining expertise in fiscal regime design for extractive industries.

Thomas Baunsgaard serves as Deputy Chief in the Tax Policy Division of the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department, where he has established himself as a leading authority on extractive industries taxation and natural resource wealth management. After two decades at the IMF, he has built an extraordinary career spanning tax policy, capacity building, and economic development. As head of the IMF's extractive industries tax policy work, he oversees the multi-donor Managing Natural Resource Wealth Trust Fund, which helps resource-rich developing countries build capacity for managing their natural wealth. His expertise extends to designing fiscal regimes for mining and petroleum sectors, developing tax administration frameworks, and implementing macro-fiscal policies in resource-dependent economies. Prior to his current role, he served as IMF Resident Representative in Tanzania and Malawi, following earlier positions as tax policy advisor with Papua New Guinea's Internal Revenue Commission and country economist at the World Bank's West Bank and Gaza Office. Through his leadership of major initiatives like the Natural Resource Fiscal Regimes program and contributions to international tax policy during crises, he continues to shape how developing nations harness their resource wealth while maintaining focus on sustainable economic development

Samya Beidas-Strom serves as Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund's Research Department's World Economic Outlook Division, where she has established herself as an expert in global economic imbalances and energy markets. After earning her MPhil in Macroeconomics from University College London and MSc in Finance from the University of York, she has built an impressive career spanning public and private sectors. Her research portfolio includes significant contributions to understanding G-20 imbalances, oil price dynamics, fiscal and monetary policy modeling, exchange rates, and housing markets. Before joining the IMF, she served in the UK's Government Economic Service, where she shaped development and trade policies in emerging Europe before taking on a diplomatic role in Southeast Asia, following her early career as an analyst at Unilever PLC. Her multilingual capabilities in Arabic, French, German, and Italian enhance her international expertise. Through her role at the IMF, she continues to advance understanding of global economic dynamics while maintaining active research in applied macroeconomics and econometrics, particularly focusing on oil price formation and forecasting.

Hamid Davoodi serves as Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund's Institute for Capacity Development, where he has established himself as a leading expert in resource-rich economies since joining in 1997. After earning his PhD in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and gaining experience at the World Bank and Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, he has built an impressive career spanning research, policy analysis, and capacity development. His research impact is evidenced through numerous influential publications on corruption, public investment, and economic growth, with particular focus on transition economies and resource-rich countries. As lead instructor for the IMF's Macroeconomic Management in Resource-rich Countries course, he has shaped understanding of fiscal policy and economic management across more than ten resource-rich nations in Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. Through his work on military spending, fiscal adjustment, and income distribution policies in developing countries, he continues to advance economic policy research while maintaining expertise in monetary and exchange rate policies for resource-dependent economies.