Axel Schimmelpfennig has worked at the International Monetary Fund in a number of capacities since 1999. He is currently a Division Chief in the IMF’s Africa Department. Prior to that, he was the IMF’s Senior Resident Representative in South Africa, worked on countries in the Middle East and Central Asia region, and was responsible for the Regional Economic Outlook for the Middle East and Central Asia. Axel’s research interests include the future of work and fiscal sustainability. Before coming to the IMF, Axel worked as a research associate at the Kiel Institute of World Economics. He holds a PhD. In economics from the University of Kiel.