Guinea-Bissau is a small state in West Africa with a population of around 1.8 million. It is rich in natural resources (fisheries, forestry and agriculture) and biodiversity. Economic activity is, however, dominated by the production and sale of unprocessed cashew, which is also the main source...

Guinea-Bissau is a small state in West Africa with a population of around 1.8 million. It is rich in natural resources (fisheries, forestry and agriculture) and biodiversity. Guinea-Bissau is host to a large variety of ethnic groups, languages and religions, with communal and ethnic-based...

The Republic of Congo is the third-largest crude oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and Angola and is heavily dependent on oil production and oil exports. With a population of 5.5 million, Congo is a lower middle-income economy, endowed with abundant natural resources. The economy...

The national economy of Vietnam was affected by the April 2020 lockdown meant to contain the domestic spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) virus and subsequent outbreaks in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Nevertheless, the economy showed exceptional resilience. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew by...

The images of flattened buildings and tent cities that dominated the news following the Haitian earthquake of January 12, 2010 triggered an emergency response from the global aid and development community. Foreign governments, multilateral organizations including the World Bank, and NGOs...

Benefiting from successful economic transformation after independence and the start of EU accession negotiations, economic activity in Montenegro has been solid, supporting the rise in incomes their convergence with the ones in the European Union. Inflation has been modest and kept in check....

Cambodia's rapid economic growth and poverty reduction have taken place in an environment characterized by macroeconomic stability and prudent fiscal management. Having recently graduated to become a lower middle-income country, Cambodia is beginning to face complex fiscal and public service...

The Ecuador public finance review (PFR) series responded to a request from the Ecuadorian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of public spending. The PFR series offers a combination of analysis, capacity building, and options for reform in selected...

The first three chapters of the PFR review the core fiscal policy and revenue mobilization issues. Chapter 1 discusses the fiscal landscape, fiscal framework, and progressivity of fiscal policy. Chapter 2 looks at the footprint of quasi-fiscal activities, which affects the overall fiscal stance...

This section of the Public Finance Review (PFR) assesses the level, quality, efficiency, and equity of public spending on education in North Macedonia and recommends policies that could increase efficiency as well as outcomes. It also examines the status of recent education reforms in the...