Given recent high profile corporate collapses and scandals in Australia there has been increased interest in the performance of corporations' senior management, particularly those listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). New regulations, both mandatory and voluntary, have been developed...

Unemployment has remained high in the Philippines, at almost twice the level of neighboring countries, despite relatively fast employment growth in the past decade. Employment growth was not sufficient to reduce unemployment because of rapid population growth and increased labor force...

Work absence is an important part of the individual decision on actual working hours. This paper focuses on sickness absence in Europe and develops a stylized model where absence is part of the labor-leisure decision made by workers and the production decision made by profit-maximizing firms,...

In contrast to most Scandinavian countries, Iceland allocates the income of closely held businesses (CHBs) between capital and labor based on administratively set minimum wages rather than an imputed return to book assets.  This paper  contrasts the relative tax burdens of the current...

This paper examines the People’s Republic of China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s 2008 Article IV Consultation. Growth has slowed in the first half of the year, as external conditions have worsened. Inflation remains elevated, driven by food prices and housing...

This 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights that The Zambian economy has performed well in recent years, with strong growth and modest inflation, and has high growth potential. The government has resolved to step up development by scaling up investment in infrastructure. The current fiscal...

The paper traces the Baltics’ adjustment strategy during the 2008-09 global financial crisis. The abrupt end to the externally-financed domestic demand boom triggered a severe output collapse, bringing per capita income levels back to 2005/06 levels. In response to this shock, the Baltics...

In this paper, the following statistical data are presented in detail: gross domestic product, savings and investment, production of major marketed crops, marketed livestock, industrial production by sector, prices of petroleum products, transport and communication activity, import prices of oil...

How to entrench hard-won gains, increase resilience to shocks, and improve growth performance to reduce poverty? As Central America moves forward in regaining macroeconomic stability, these are the challenges. This study analyzes Central America’s real, fiscal, monetary, and financial...

The reform of fiscal policies and institutions lies at the heart of structural adjustment in developing countries. Although the immediate aim of such reform is to reduce fiscal imbalances to achieve macroeconomic stability, the long-term goal is to secure more durable improvements in fiscal...