This 2011 Article IV Consultation highlights that the difficult global economic conditions continue to hit Barbados with growth at anemic levels. The current account deficit has widened in recent times owing to higher oil and food prices. Executive Directors commended the authorities for...

The sharp increase in debt in the Caribbean since the mid-1990s has focused attention on the conduct of fiscal policy in the region. This paper aims to diagnose how fiscal policy has behaved during this period by looking at three main cycles of the economy: the business, election, and natural...

Grenada quickly recovered from the devastating effects of Hurricane Ivan. Executive Directors welcomed the economic reform program aimed to promote economic growth, restore fiscal and debt sustainability, reduce vulnerabilities, and alleviate poverty. They emphasized the need to strengthen the...

This report evaluates Morocco’s fiscal transparency practices and assesses compliance with the IMF’s Code of Good Practices on Fiscal Transparency. Morocco’s fiscal management system, which remains highly centralized, is essentially reliable and supported by legal...

This paper evaluates the performance of fiscal policy in Russia since the 1998 crisis along several dimensions, using a variety of indicators. Russia has progressed tremendously in recent years on public debt sustainability, largely thanks to the fact that the real interest rates on public debt...

Large dollar reserves in Asian EMEs accompany large U.S. fiscal and current account deficits. Analysis of strategic sales by Asian EMEs suggests that an attack on the dollar is not certain but is possible. A unique equilibrium where Asian EMEs sell their reserves does not exist but there are...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that the macroeconomic performance of United Arab Emirates is estimated to have been strong in 2003, reflecting favorable developments in the oil market, higher oil production, and prices. Non Hydrocarbon real GDP growth is estimated to have remained...

This 2002 Article IV Consultation on Portugal highlights that after an extended strong economic expansion, the GDP growth stalled in 2002 and, at 0.5 percent, fell below the euro area average for the first time in almost a decade. The growth slowdown reflected a broad-based decline in domestic...

This report assesses the Observance of Standards and Codes on Fiscal Transparency for the Republic of Kazakhstan. The fiscal reporting and dissemination of information in Kazakhstan has already achieved a sound level of practice, and can be built upon with relatively little further effort....

The Chilean government has succeeded in constructing and disseminating a clear view of its objectives and targets, both at the macroeconomic level and for individual budget programs. Government accountability to congress and the public is demonstrably being strengthened. A general reform...