As this “new world” of low interest rates and abundant financing seemed to offer a free lunch to the converging countries, several imbalances started to build-up. Such imbalances took different shapes:   In countries such as Portugal or Greece, fiscal imbalances became a major problem – even if the size of the problem was, and actually is, substantially different.
The South African Reserve Bank began a pilot in 2012 in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education to:  Offer learners the opportunity to enhance their understanding of monetary policy and how it relates to the economy as a whole;  Help learners understand better how the economy works;  Assist learners to better understand how the SARB’s Monetary Policy Committee makes decisions;  Improve broad economic literacy in the country;  Create an opportunity for learners to put the classroom economic theory into practice and thereby enhancing their understanding of economics;  Stimulate interest among learners in a career as an economist; and  Raise awareness and understanding of the role and responsibilities of the SARB.