This 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights that Brazil’s economy is recovering gradually from the slowdown that began in mid-2011. Consumption remained resilient last year underpinned by low unemployment and broad gains in real wages, although it has slowed somewhat more recently. After...

This paper seeks to draw lessons from the IMF’s experience in handling financial crises around the globe over the past ten years that are relevant to the challenges faced by countries in Latin America, especially in the wake of the recent crisis in Argentina. Experience suggests that...

This study examines external and domestic influences on Latin America’s economic performance over the past decade and a half. It notes that over the past few years, macroeconomic policies have strengthened and structural reforms have been implemented. Together with a favorable external...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes economic and agricultural developments, and the impact of land reforms of Zimbabwe. The paper summarizes the quantitative estimates of the fiscal burden and overall medium-term macroeconomic impact of HIV/AIDS on Zimbabwe. It reviews the debt restructuring,...

This paper examines Burundi’s Use of IMF Resources and a Request for Post-Conflict Emergency Assistance. Implementation of the 2002 program was broadly on track, despite constraints resulting from the delays in and earmarking of external aid disbursements. Fiscal developments were in line...

This Selected Issues paper reviews the benefits and costs of reserves for Chile, with emphasis on standard methodologies for assessing reserve adequacy. It reports an empirical methodology that analyzes simultaneously key explanatory variables behind a country’s level of reserves. The...

This paper looks at the historical lessons that might serve to entrech Latin America's newly resurgent growth phase. It briefly reviews the post-World War II experiences in Latin America and Asia, focusing on the conditions that favored capital accumulation and productivity growth in the faster...