Managing government debt guarantees is difficult because the potential costs of guarantees are hard to estimate and typically do not show up in the reported budget deficit. A good framework for managing guarantees can, however, help governments overcome the difficulty and enhance the transparency of guarantees. This paper sets out a checklist of issues for a government to consider when designing or revisiting its framework for managing guarantees. The checklist comprises: (1) steps to establish macroeconomic control over guarantees by setting limits on their use and restricting the authorization to grant them; (2) steps to improve decisions to grant individual guarantees by means of guidelines, restrictions, conditions, cost estimation, guarantees fees, and a structured process for making the decisions; and (3) steps to ensure careful management after the granting of guarantees, including the recording and reporting of guarantees, arrangements to pay when necessary, and learning from past experience
