In the last decade Cape Verde has experienced a strong accumulation of emigrant deposits. These deposits have provided much needed foreign exchange to the country, adding support to the exchange rate peg. This paper studies the long-run determinants of emigrant deposits with respect to risk,...

The Executive Board approved a three-year Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for Ireland under the exceptional access policy and Emergency Financing Mechanism (EFM). Political developments have been turbulent. The authorities are moving ahead with a comprehensive...

Irish policymakers have gained significant credibility, through assertive steps, to deal with the most potent sources of vulnerability. A continuation of vigorous policy efforts is required with an emphasis on risk management. Much progress has been made on the financial stability agenda, but a...

The Irish financial sector has continued to perform well since its participation in the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) in 2000. Although the outlook remains very strong for 2006–07, there are some macroeconomic risks that could have implications for the financial system asset...

This Selected Issues paper examines the competitiveness of the Irish manufacturing sector. The paper highlights that in 2001, production cuts and accelerating wage growth arrested the trend improvement in external competitiveness, but the level remains high. The paper presents some medium-term...

The Selected Issues paper analyzes how fast Ireland will grow in the future. The approach of this paper is to consider the catch-up in labor utilization productivity and use independent demographic projections and other considerations to make reasonable assumptions about labor productivity and...

Over the past decade, Ireland has experienced a sustained expansion in output and employment that has raised its per capita income above the ED average. The decline in interest rates, and increasing financial sector competition, rapidly rising disposable income, and high rates of household...