This paper discusses the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s Second Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement and Request for Waiver of Performance Criteria and Rephasing of the Program. The 2007 fiscal deficit target increased modestly to 1 percent of GDP. Taxes were cut and budget...

The Fifth Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility of the Republic of Mozambique explains macroeconomic performance. Growth has picked up, led by strength in the construction sector and a recovery in agricultural production. The strategy to...

Macroeconomic performance continues to be strong, with double-digit real gross domestic product growth and low inflation. All quantitative and structural performance criteria have been met. Significant progress has been made in converting quasi-fiscal subsidies to fiscal subsidies. The...

This paper examines Mozambique’s First Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Mozambique’s performance in 2004 relative to the main macroeconomic objectives of the PRGF-supported program was satisfactory. The fiscal...

This paper examines the Kyrgyz Republic’s 2002 Article IV Consultation, Second Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), and a Request for Waiver of Performance Criterion. All performance criteria but one were observed for the period under review (April 1,...

Banks will want to influence the bank regulator to favor their interests, and they typically have the means to do so. It is shown that such ""regulatory capture"" in banking does not imply ineffectual regulation; a ""captured"" regulator may impose very tight, costly prudential requirements to...

Recapitalizing banks in a systemic crisis is a complex medium-term process that requires significant government intervention and careful management at both the strategic and individual bank levels. This paper highlights the range of operational and strategic issues to be addressed and the...

This paper examines the reasons for this, specifically focusing on regulations or market practices that can accentuate economic cycles. Although recognizing various practical limitations, new policy responses are identified that could help to mitigate procyclicality. Although economic cycles are...

This assessment of financial sector supervision and regulation for the Kingdom of the Netherlands—Aruba discusses its financial sector, which is primarily domestically orientated with limited offshore financial sector activity. The system for banking supervision and regulation in Aruba was...

The scramble to expand deposit guarantees in Europe in response to recent financial turmoil confirms that the on-going integration of European financial markets requires closer coordination of prudential policies and financial safety nets. We study the optimal design of prudential supervision...