This paper discusses Ireland’s Fiscal Transparency Assessment. The Irish government has ambitious plans to improve further the timeliness, quality, and comprehensiveness of its budgets, statistics, and accounts. Ireland has the capacity and information to bring its fiscal transparency...

This paper discusses pilot fiscal transparency assessment for Costa Rica. The assessment confirmed that Costa Rica has various excellent and sophisticated fiscal transparency practices. Those include: (1) institutional coverage with annual consolidated budgetary information for the entire public...

With increasing frequency, the IMF has assisted middle-income countries, especially emerging economies, in adopting the types of budget reforms that have been introduced in many Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries - reforms that emphasize performance and...

This paper compares Canadian central government budget forecasting with forecasting by other industrial countries. While fiscal forecasting in Canada is governed by one of the strongest institutional frameworks, quantitative analysis suggests that budget projections of macroeconomic and fiscal...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes fiscal management and strategy for growth for Vanuatu. It presents an overview of recent fiscal policy and outcomes. The main structural changes in the financial sector since independence in 1980 are discussed. The paper highlights some key features common to...

The paper assesses the United Kingdom's golden rule and debt rule against "ideal characteristics" of fiscal rules. It concludes that they are clearly defined; transparent in institutional arrangements and measurement; adequate to ensure sustainability; and strike a good balance between flexibility...