Owing to the deteriorating economy of Guatemala, authorities requested a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with access of SDR 630.6 million in April 2009, which aimed at safeguarding macroeconomic and financial stability and anchoring investor confidence. Executive Directors have agreed that the SBA is...

The paper assesses the impact of fiscal spillovers on growth in the context of a coordinated exit from crisis management policies. We find that despite potentially sizeable domestic effects from consolidation, aggregate negative spillovers to other countries are likely to be contained in...

The effectiveness of fiscal policy in smoothing the impact of shocks depends critically on the size of fiscal multipliers. This is particularly relevant for the GCC countries given the need for fiscal policy to cushion the economy from large terms of trade shocks in the absence of an independent...

The cornerstone of Chile’s impressive fiscal performance has been its structural balance rule. By insulating public spending from short-term copper price fluctuations and the business cycle, the rule has helped preserve fiscal discipline. However, the implementation of the rule in recent...

This consultation paper explains that several years of sound macroeconomic policies and political reforms have left Morocco well equipped to address the 2008 international crisis and to respond to pressing social demands. In this challenging environment, Morocco has performed well economically...

Serbia’s transition to a more sustainable growth model remains incomplete and fragile. A precautionary Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) has been requested to insure against external risks and to provide a policy anchor. The program represents a prudent step in the present uncertain global and...

Despite the effects of the international crisis, real nonhydrocarbon GDP (NHGDP) growth in 2009 exceeded the average of 6 percent. Algeria’s good economic performance supported by the authorities’ prudent fiscal and monetary policies and the favorable external environment are...

The paper aims to identify the optimal size, speed and composition of the medium-term fiscal adjustment in the context of Sudan's limited oil reserves. The permanently sustainable non-oil primary balance approach suggests the need for significant fiscal adjustment over the medium term, requiring...

This working paper overviews the challenges posed by resource revenues management and the policy prescriptions to meet them, and focuses on the Public Financial Management (PFM) framework and reforms that resource-producing countries should adopt. The paper outlines a PFM framework and reform...

The paper assesses, using seven structural models used heavily by policymaking institutions, the effectiveness of temporary fiscal stimulus. Models can, more easily than empirical studies, account for differences between fiscal instruments, for differences between structural characteristics of...