This paper discusses the economic approach to deterring foreign exchange violations in the context of law enforcement in Madagascar. In order to find an optimal level of monetary sanction, the setting of the fine rate applied is based on one or more well-defined criteria such as the seriousness...

Real GDP growth stalled at 3.8 percent in 2023, dampened by the deterioration of global economic prospects and the negative effect of electoral uncertainty on investment. After peaking in March 2023, inflationary pressures have eased. Led by a new presidential mandate, the authorities are...

The Madagascar Urbanization Review aims to: - Contribute to the 2019 National Policy for Urban Development (Politique National de Developpement Urbain), the main policy document outlining the priorities for cities in Madagascar. - Serve as a diagnostic tool to identify the key barriers to...

This report provides an account of the evolution of poverty and living conditions in the decade 2012- 2022. It finds that at the national level monetary poverty essentially stagnated while urban poverty, admittedly a much smaller in absolute and relative terms, dramatically increased. In 2022,...

Because excessive specialization can be risky, diversification matters for sustainable development. A case study of Madagascar, this paper begins by briefly discussing economic and institutional diversification and presenting a simple model of production possibilities to illuminate the possible...

The African continent needs $68-108 billion in new financing each year to bridge its critical infrastructure gaps, according to President Adesina of the African Development Bank. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) calculates that climate change adaptation alone will cost Africa up...

This study investigates the relationship between financial literacy and farmers' awareness of digital credit in rural Madagascar. We apply questions that demonstrate individuals' understanding of the four fundamental concepts for financial decision making: numeracy, interest compounding,...

Background Previous studies have argued that the relationship between health expenditures and health outcomes is more significant among the poor than the non-poor. However, public spending alone does not improve health status. Quality of governance is considered not only as an important...

This paper discusses Republic of Madagascar's Fourth Review under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement and Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Modification of Performance Criteria. Madagascar's growth has decelerated, and inflation remains high. Program...

Food insecurity dramatically increased in Madagascar over the last 10 years, hampering human development. Using most recent data and surveys conducted by UN Agencies and local authorities, this paper analyzes the root causes of food insecurity in Madagascar related to demographic...

This chapter investigates the link between informality and growth in Madagascar and aims for a better understanding of the informal sector. It provides an analysis of the characteristics of informal production units and informal employment. Findings suggest that informality is a key feature of...

The paper examines Madagascar's education, health, and social assistance spending and outcomes. Government spending on education is relatively low compared to peers, and the quality of education has deteriorated. The paper recommends allocating more resources to the sector, ensuring transparent...

This Selected Issues paper takes stock of developments in education, health, and social assistance and offers policy options in the Republic of Madagascar. The quality of education in Madagascar is falling with low school completion rates, a high share of untrained teachers, and declining test...

This paper focuses on Republic of Madagascar's 2022 Article IV Consultation, Third Review under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement, and Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Modification of Performance Criteria. Two years of pandemic and multiple climate shocks...

This thematic note is part of a broader mixed-method study on gender inequalities in Madagascar, which intends to illustrate the key gender gaps in the country and shed light on the unique challenges that young Malagasy women face in their educational, professional, and family trajectories. Due...

This thematic note is part of a broader mixed-method study on gender inequalities in Madagascar, which intends to illustrate the key gender gaps in the country and shed light on the unique challenges that young Malagasy women face in their educational, professional, and family trajectories. Due...

This thematic note is part of a broader mixed-method study on gender inequalities in Madagascar, which intends to illustrate the key gender gaps in the country and shed light on the unique challenges that young Malagasy women face in their educational, professional, and family trajectories. Due...

This thematic note is part of a broader mixed-method study on gender inequalities in Madagascar, which intends to illustrate the key gender gaps in the country and shed light on the unique challenges that young Malagasy women face in their educational, professional, and family trajectories. Due...

This Overview presents the findings from the mixed-method study on gender inequalities in Madagascar, illustrating the key gender gaps in the country and shedding light on the unique challenges that young Malagasy women face in their educational, professional, and family trajectories. Due to the...

Madagascar is exposed to a multitude of climate hazards such as tropical cyclones, droughts, and floods, which cause significant damage to key sectors, thereby undermining development efforts. Madagascar continues to develop strategies and policies for addressing climate change, including...

Madagascar has not yet recovered from the pandemic and is struggling with the aftermath of a severe cyclone season and the fallout of Russia's war in Ukraine. After a sharp contraction of GDP in 2020 (-7.1 percent) and a modest recovery in 2021 (4.3 percent), growth is projected to stall in...

At the request of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance (Ministère de l'Économie et des Finances (MEF)) and in consultation with the African Department (AFR) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the IMF Statistics Department (STA) carried out a remote mission on government finance...

The Country Opinion Survey in Madagascar assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Madagascar perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national and local governments, multilateral/bilateral agencies, media, academia,...

Madagascar continues to be severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. After a contraction of GDP estimated at 7.1 percent in 2020, the economic recovery has been sluggish, partly reflecting a delayed reopening of the economy. Postponement of some external budget support, following delays in...

We contribute to the long debate on whether export commodity revenues can lead to economic development by studying the consequences of the nearly six-fold increase in the global price of vanilla on vanilla farming communities in Madagascar. We find a substantial increase in the wealth and...

Madagascar remains to exploit agglomeration economies and urbanization economies to sustain more rigorous economic growth. After several political and economic crises, Madagascar restored its modest but steady growth path with an average growth rate of 3.5 percent in the last 5 years (before the...

Informal public transport has been growing rapidly in many developing countries. Because urban infrastructure development tends to lag rapid population growth, informal public transport often meets the growing gap between demand and supply in urban mobility. Despite the rich literature primarily...

Madagascar remains one of the poorest countries in the world. The country has endured stubbornly high poverty rates and limited economic growth for decades. Madagascar sustained modest Gross domestic product (GDP) growth between 2013 and 2019, but by 2020, with the onset of the COVID-19...

This Country Program Evaluation assesses the development effectiveness of the Bank Group's engagement in Madagascar between fiscal years 2007 and 2021 and surfaces lessons to inform the design and implementation of the next Bank Group-supported partnership strategy with Madagascar. The...

Development prospects in Madagascar continue to be hampered by the country's low growth potential and exposure to frequent, deep, and persistent crises. Following a recession in 2020 that was about three times deeper than in the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa, an economic recovery started in...

This paper presents a new methodology to detect corruption in customs and applies it to Madagascar’s main port. Manipulation of assignment of import declarations to inspectors is identified by measuring deviations from random assignment prescribed by official rules. Deviant declarations are...

The Madagascar Urbanization Review aims to: - Contribute to the 2019 National Policy for Urban Development (Politique National de Developpement Urbain), the main policy document outlining the priorities for cities in Madagascar. - Serve as a diagnostic tool to identify the key barriers to...