This Selected Issues paper on the Republic of Mozambique reports key policy and institutional issues in the macroeconomic management of scaled-up aid and in promoting sustainable private-sector led growth. A further moderate scaling-up of foreign aid could continue to be fully spent and focus on...

This 2006 Article IV Consultation highlights that the economic upturn that started in mid-2005 in Belgium has remained on track. On the heels of a catch-up in private investment, the revival of private consumption and the cyclical expansion in neighboring countries have broadened the recovery to...

The Joint Staff Advisory Note on the Republic of Madagascar’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) is analyzed. The government of Madagascar has prepared its second growth and poverty reduction strategy called the Madagascar Action Plan (MAP), a bold development plan for...

This 2006 Article IV Consultation highlights that economic performance of Benin has been relatively subdued since 2003 after a decade of high growth. Slow economic growth has reflected limited progress in addressing core economic vulnerabilities and delays in implementing crucial...

The 2007 Article IV Consultation with the Kingdom of the Netherlands explains fiscal policy and financial sector issues. Improvements in the macroeconomic and business environments and technological innovation have contributed positively to Dutch competitiveness. Executive Directors emphasized...

This paper discusses key findings of the 2006 Regional Discussions on the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. Fiscal revenues have improved, but there has been only a modest improvement in the fiscal and debt positions. Tax revenues have strengthened with the uptick in economic activity,...

This Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for Nicaragua reports that the most pressing demand for the majority of Nicaraguans is employment generation and economic growth. The National Development Plan (NDP) gives priority to actions that improve the investment climate and promote productive...

This paper assesses the nature of fiscal discipline under alternative exchange rate regimes. First, it shows in a simple theoretical framework that fiscal agencies under a currency union with a fixed exchange rate can have the largest incentive to overspend or "free-ride" (compared to those...