Owing to the high dependence of its exports on countries and commodities, Finland experienced the worst recession in the euro area. Executive Directors encouraged authorities to focus on improving bank cost efficiency, preventing excessive risk taking, and limiting liquidity and funding risks....

Finland has recovered from the depression of the early 1990s, and is engaged in a new phase of economic expansion. Problems remain on the structural front and should be tackled for robust long-term growth. The restraint on the growth of public expenditures should be complemented by a significant...

This 1999 Article IV Consultation highlights that Finland’s economy has made a strong recovery from the deep recession that began in the early 1990s. Spurred by a devaluation of the markka, growth was predominantly export driven, and the external current account shifted from a deficit of more...

Finland’s 2008 Article IV Consultation shows that spillovers from the global turmoil are adversely affecting activity and may weaken the financial system. From a cyclical perspective, a fiscal structural loosening is warranted. Its effectiveness in Finland’s small, open economy would be...

The paper is an account of Finland’s unexpected upcoming deceleration in the economy at the end of 2011 and later. The deleveraging of the financial sector and the debt crisis made the nation fear an inevitable recession. To sustain this vulnerable situation, due attention was given to...

Finland's performance has been impressive. In light of rapid population aging, a significant and durable increase in the employment rate is vital. To leave room for needed tax cuts on labor while maintaining sufficiently large fiscal surpluses is crucial. With both growth and inflation set to...

The economic restructuring and expansion after the crisis reflected a combination of private sector initiative, solid macroeconomic management, including the shift from large deficits to significant surpluses of the general government, and structural reforms. High unemployment is one indication...

The Finnish financial sector has weathered during the global crisis. Banks’ capital buffers were sufficient, but liquidity and credit risks required monitoring. The study assessed that there is a need for strong crisis management framework. It is found that an evaluation of Deposit Guarantee...

In light of potential changes in fiscal policy in Finland, the impact of changes in the fiscal stance on short-term economic growth is an issue of interest. This paper estimates the short-term impact of fiscal policy on growth in Finland. The estimates are based on a structural vector...

This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix examines inflation and wage dynamics in Finland. The paper discusses the data set used (quarterly data covering from 1975 to 1995) and the statistical properties of the relevant time series. It presents the model and the empirical estimates,...