Recent studies have highlighted the adverse impact of corruption on economic performance. This paper advances the hypothesis that corruption is largely a symptom of underlying weaknesses in public policies and institutions, a formulation that provides deeper insights into economic performance...

This paper argues that the implications of globalization for monetary policy come mainly through two channels: On the one hand, the many structural changes that are associated with the globalization process cause an increase in the uncertainty surrounding monetary policy. This includes an...

Inflation targeting lite (ITL) countries float their exchange rate and announce an inflation target, but are not able to maintain the inflation target as the foremost policy objective. This paper identifies 19 emerging market countries as practitioners of ITL. They seem to focus mainly on...

The more advanced Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) face an evolving set of considerations in choosing their exchange rate policies. On the one hand, capital mobility is increasing, and this imposes additional constraints on fixed exchange rate regimes, while trend real appreciation...

When policymakers have little option but to consider a sizable fiscal adjustment, they are confronted by the following questions: Can a large fiscal adjustment be implemented succesfully? How is a large adjustment best designed and implemented? What will be its impact on the economy? This...

The issue of the appropriate exchange rate regime for individual countries has been perennially lively, and the role played by international capital flows and domestic financial systems in determining the performance of these regimes has gained prominence in the policy debate. Using recent...

This study examines the challenges and issues facing policymakers in highly dollarized economies. Focusing on Cambodia, which achieved almost complete dollarization during 1991-95, the authors review recent developments in the literature on dollarization and examine the costs and benefits of...

This Selected Issues paper looks at short-term inflation dynamics in the new member states (NMS) of the European Union, focusing on the role of monetary policy regimes. It models the determinants of inflation in the NMS and assesses how different theoretical frameworks best fit the data. The...

This paper focuses on Ukraine’s 2005 Article IV Consultation and Ex Post Assessment of Longer-Term Program Engagement. After four years of strong activity, annual growth has slowed sharply, from a peak of about 12 percent in 2004 to 3 percent for January–September 2005. Fiscal...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that United Kingdom’s real GDP growth is estimated at about 3 percent in 2004 and is expected to stay stable at about 2½ percent in 2005–06, in line with potential growth. Domestic demand remains the key driver of growth, underpinned...