Economic outcomes in Jamaica have fallen short of the authorities’ objectives in recent years. As the government looks to reinvigorate its growth and debt reduction strategy, it is instructive to examine how exogenous shocks and other unanticipated developments can affect economic...

Theory predicts that a nation's stochastic intertemporal budget constraint is satisfied if net exports (NX) and net foreign assets (NFA) satisfy an error-correction specification with a residual integrated of any finite order. We test this hypothesis using data for 21 industrial and 29 emerging...

Bulgaria’s First Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement and Request for Waiver of Performance Criteria are discussed. With macroeconomic conditions expected to remain favorable, competitiveness at an adequate level, and a lower current account deficit, concerns about external vulnerability...

The staff report for the Third and Fourth Reviews Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility on Dominica highlights economic developments and policies. Import growth has been robust on account of the economic recovery but the impact on the current account...

Liberia’s 2006 Article IV Consultation reports that the economy continues its modest recovery, driven by donor-related expenditure and the resumption of activity in rural areas. The government has endorsed the Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program that aims to strengthen...

With the recovery from the 2002 crisis well advanced, discussions focused on policies to reduce remaining vulnerabilities and sustain growth. Sensitivity analysis suggests that the economy, while having become more resilient in recent years, is still vulnerable. The authorities agreed to...

Ghana’s macroeconomic performance has continued to improve, and the program’s objectives are being met. Progress has also been made toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Public expenditure and financial management has shown improvement. The medium-term outlook appears...

Peru showed commendable economic performance under the Stand-By Arrangement, owing to its strong fundamentals, prudent macroeconomic policies, and progress with structural reforms. Executive Directors commended these developments, and stressed the need to strengthen fiscal prudence,...