This IMF staff report on Belize’s 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights economic developments and macroeconomic outlook. Macroeconomic developments in 2012 were underpinned by robust output growth but clouded by uncertainties surrounding the debt restructuring and growth prospects of...

Afghanistan’s economy continued to perform strongly under the staff-monitored program, resulting in rapid economic growth, inflation declining to single-digit levels, and the international reserves position strengthening further. At the same time, the authorities implemented key...

The 2008 Article IV Consultation with the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe and sixth review under the three-year arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility discusses policies and exchange rate arrangement. In recent years, public finances have been supported by...

This paper discusses key findings of the Third Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for Haiti. Despite external shocks, program performance was solid in the first half of FY2008, with all but one quantitative performance criteria (PC) met. Most structural conditionality...

This paper discusses key findings of the Fourth Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. All quantitative performance criteria and structural benchmarks for end-December 2006 were met. Progress continues on structural...

The authorities’ program for 2003–05, supported by the previous Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), successfully stabilized the economy despite difficult conditions. A new economic program for 2006–08 is needed to consolidate macroeconomic stability, address remaining...

The net worth approach to fiscal analysis is cast in a simple model able to capture the dynamics and steady-state equilibria of public sector's debt, nonfinancial and financial assets, and net worth under alternative fiscal rules, including the golden rule and the golden rule cum debt...

Currency mismatches in corporate balance sheets have been singled out as an important factor underlying the severity of recent financial crises. We propose several structural models for measuring default risk for firms with currency mismatches in their asset/liability structure. The proposed...

El Salvador has made major strides on several fronts since the peace accords of 1992. The near-term outlook has strengthened, although challenges remain. The authorities are intended to limit tax exemptions and subsidies, and raise priority of banking reforms this year. Discussions focused on...

This paper highlights Ghana’s poverty reduction strategy. The paper also highlights Ghana’s performance in observing the requirements for reaching the floating completion point under the framework, including implementation of the national poverty reduction strategy. The updated...