This paper examines how the category of failure was economised and made calculable. It explores the preconditions for this shift in three stages. First, it explores how failure came to be ‘forgiven’ in both the U.S. and the U.K. across the nineteenth century, how it came to be defined as...

Credit ratings are commonly used by lenders to assess the default risk, because every credit is connected with a possible loss. If the probability of a default is above a certain threshold, a credit will not be provided. The purpose of this paper is to test whether credit ratings contribute...

This paper reviews Albania’s 2004 Article IV Consultation, Fifth Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), Request for Extension of the Arrangement, and Financing Assurances Review. The macroeconomic performance of the Albanian economy has been remarkable by both...

This 2002 Article IV Consultation highlights that the economic growth of Korea rose to about 6 percent in 2002 from 3 percent in 2001. Buoyant consumption and residential construction spending underpinned the recovery beginning in late 2001. In 2002, exports rebounded strongly in spite of a...

The unprecedented rise in nonperforming assets during the recent Asian financial crisis severely tested the limit and capacity of the existing asset management infrastructure, leading policymakers to consider new approaches to resolve them. This paper examines two such approaches—the creation...

This study is carried out against a backdrop of deep divisions in Greece and in Europe over how to handle the challenges now confronting Greece. Greece’s deeper medium-term policy needs and identifying ways to replace the expected market financing are discussed. Structural reforms tackled...

This paper reports on Bangladesh’s Financial System Stability Assessment. Considerable progress has been made in strengthening the resilience of the country's financial sector. Total assets of the banking sector have increased twofold since 2003, and credit to the private sector has risen...

Aufgrund der durch Basel II veränderten Kreditvergabepraxis werden sich die Kreditkonditionen in erheblichem Maße stärker spreizen. Da insbesondere der Mittelstand diese Problematik nicht hinreichend erkannt hat, setzt in Sachsen eine Mittelstandsoffensive mit dem Ziel der Strategie- und...

Aufgrund der durch Basel II veränderten Kreditvergabepraxis werden sich die Kreditkonditionen in erheblichem Maße stärker spreizen. "Schlechte" Unternehmen müssen im Vergleich zu "guten" Unternehmen mit hohen Kreditzinsen rechnen. Die stärkere Spreizung ist in erster Linie auf die...