This paper analyzes the effects of trade openness on budget balances by distinguishing the effects of natural openness from those of trade-policy induced openness. Using the GMMsystem estimator, the econometric analysis focuses on 66 developing countries during 1974-98. The results show that...

Recent work draws attention to the fragility of domestic tax revenues-a vital resource for the developing world-to illicit financial flows. To cope with two major challenges in the illicit financial flows-tax revenues relationship-related to the mere illicit financial flows measurement and...

This paper studies whether fiscal policy plays a stabilizing role in the context of import food price shocks. More precisely, the paper assesses whether fiscal policy dampens the adverse effect of import food price shocks on household consumption. Based on a panel of 70 low and middle-income...