The global financial crisis unmasked Serbia’s unsustainable pre-crisis growth model. Looking back, the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) provided effective insurance against a financial meltdown, initiated the needed re-balancing of the economy, but could not prevent large job losses. Looking ahead,...

The economy of Mongolia was extremely affected during the crisis, owing to its dependency on mineral exports and history of procyclical macroeconomic policies. In this study, the ex post evaluation (EPE) of Mongolia’s experience is reviewed. The EPE focused on program design and...

This 2008 Article IV Consultation highlights that Mauritania’s macroeconomic performance over recent years was satisfactory, despite a steeper-than-expected decline in oil production reflecting persistent technical problems a and difficult external environment. The real non-oil GDP growth is...

The development of macroeconomic performance in El Salvador in the second half of 2010 was broadly positive, but economic activity remains subdued. The medium-term economic outlook has been revised to incorporate changes to the external environment since the first program review. The economic...

The authorities reiterated their firm commitment to the policies and objectives outlined in the May 17, 2010 Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies. They are committed to a reduction in other primary spending by 2 percentage points of GDP. With the medium-term outlook broadly unchanged,...

This paper examines Madagascar’s 2002 Article IV Consultation, Second Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), and Requests for Extension of Arrangement. Madagascar’s performance under the PRGF-supported program in 2001 was strong, with the exception of weak revenue...

This paper assesses Bulgaria’s 2002 Article IV Consultation, First Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), and a Request for Waiver of Non-observance and Waiver of Applicability. The authorities’ structural reform program is ambitious, but implementation needs to be stepped up. In...

The policies in a challenging political and economic environment are discussed in this study. The importance of reforms to enhance the budget process, tax administration, and expenditure control is encouraged. A higher growth path will require far-reaching structural reforms to bolster Comoros's...

Moldova’s economy has nearly recovered from the 2009 recession, with GDP growing by almost 7 percent in 2010. GDP rebounded by 6.9 percent in 2010 after declining by 6 percent in 2009. The key objectives for 2011 are to advance fiscal consolidation, keep inflation under control despite adverse...