The financial system of Timor-Leste was disrupted by the postreferrendum turmoil. Therefore, various steps were taken to restore the financial system. In this paper, major oil/gas fields and their development, fiscal arrangements governing oil/gas activities, and the oil/gas revenues are...

This paper discusses key findings of the Fourth Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for Bangladesh. Several quantitative and structural performance criteria have been missed for the fourth PRGF review. The nonobservance of these performance criteria largely reflects...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes the competitive threats to the tourism sector in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). The paper concludes that the ECCU countries have lost competitiveness globally and vis-à-vis newly emergent Caribbean tourist destinations as a result of both price...

This Background Paper and Statistical Appendix for Turkmenistan examines the developments since November 1993, when the manat was introduced as the national currency. Developments in the real sector and systemic reforms are discussed. Fiscal policies, monetary and credit policies, external...

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.

Between 1980 and 1995, labor productivity in the business sector grew at an average annual rate in Canada, which was slightly faster than productivity growth in Germany, but significantly slower than labor productivity growth in France, Italy, Japan, and the United States. To better understand...

The analysis is structured around the standard taxonomy of transmission channels. A monetary tightening must limit banks' ability to supply loans by reducing bank reserves/bank credit. The direct interest rate channel is the strongest channel of the monetary policy transmission mechanism (MPTM),...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that the Central African Republic’s period since 2000 has been marked by poor economic performance, owing in large part to military disturbances, but also to weak administration and poor program implementation. The conflict that ended in March...

This paper examines some factors that may have accounted for the investment and growth performance of Ghana during the past two decades, with special emphasis on the economic recovery program (ERP) period. The paper highlights that Ghana’s growth performance responded well to the...

The general government in Spain is composed of the State (central) government, the social security system, 17 regional governments, and a very large number of municipalities. Over the last several years, motivated in part by a desire to qualify for participation in Stage 3 of monetary union, the...