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 reviews Mozambique’s economic and social plan for 2003. It presents the actions that have been taken to improve the current planning instrument. The paper outlines the social and demographic profile of Mozambique and reviews the extent to which the current strategy for the...

Bulgaria’s request for a 25-month precautionary Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) in an amount of SDR 100 million or 15.62 percent of quota is discussed. The SBA-supported program seeks to reduce increased external vulnerability and to achieve sustainable high growth through a tighter fiscal...

This paper describes economic developments in Malawi during the 1990s. Malawi’s economy began to deteriorate in late 1991 as a result of a series of exogenous shocks. These shocks included two major droughts, a severe weakening in the terms of trade, and a suspension of donor...

This paper reviews Fiji’s growth performance since the late 1960s and empirically examines the factors underlying its weak performance. It concludes that Fiji’s growth performance, like most of the other Pacific island economies, has been constrained by its remoteness and...

This paper assesses the observance of financial sector supervisory standards of Montserrat in the context of a Module 2 offshore financial center assessment. It reviews the extent to which the regulatory and supervisory arrangements for the offshore financial sector complied with internationally...

This paper describes economic developments in Switzerland during the 1990s. Between 1990 and 1993, real GDP fell by a cumulative 1¼ percent. The tightening of monetary policy in response to rising inflation in the late 1980s induced a contraction in domestic demand that sent the economy into...

This paper reviews economic developments in Myanmar during the 1990s. The economic performance of Myanmar in the 1990s has fallen short of other countries in the region. The Asian crisis has had an unexpectedly limited impact on Myanmar. Following the floating of the Thai baht in June 1997, the...

Macroeconomic policy support and structural reforms have helped to bring about the economic recovery in Japan. Initiating a public process to obtain consensus on a credible strategy for eventual fiscal consolidation would help to raise confidence in long-term growth prospects and reduce the...

This Selected Issues paper focuses on the adoption of new technology and globalization in the United States of America, and assesses the change in the productivity growth and revised estimates, the developments in the labor market, equity prices, and the technology boom. The paper analyzes how...