This Selected Issues paper analyzes the major factors that may have contributed to the marked widening of the external current account imbalance in Greece since the mid-1990s, with the deficit reaching one of the highest levels (in relation to GDP) among advanced economies. The factors reviewed...

The Joint Staff Assessment (JSA) of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Annual Progress Report on Ghana evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of poverty reduction objectives and strategies. The 2003 Annual Progress Report (APR) of the authorities’ poverty reduction strategy provides a...

This paper analyzes the Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes on fiscal transparency for the United States. It assesses fiscal transparency practices in the United States against the requirements of the IMF Code of Good Practices on Fiscal Transparency. It reviews the description of...

This paper presents the Joint Staff Assessment of Serbia and Montenegro’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The PRSP for Serbia and Montenegro comprises a union-level overview and a PRSP for each of the two republics. The Montenegrin PRSP is broadly in line with the Agenda of...

Bulgaria's macroeconomic performance, in the face of the prolonged slowdown in the EU, has been impressive, but further efforts are required. The government's fiscal policy has underpinned recent economic success, and pressures to loosen such policies should be resisted. Fiscal reforms have...

This paper discusses the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper—National Development Plan for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. The plan has been a participative process, involving constituents in every sector of the economy to identify the problems they face and to suggest solutions to...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

This paper focuses on the Republic of Armenia’s 2002 Article IV Consultation, First and Second Reviews Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), and a Request for Waiver of Performance Criteria. The PRGF-supported program approved in 2001 focuses on revenue mobilization, the...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

Output growth, inflation, and the external current account balance are the major economic developments discussed in this study. The macroeconomic framework was modified to reflect recent information. The reforms in the banking system are helpful in completing the process of dealing with the...