Introduction : why Russia matters and how -- Russia's historical roots -- Russia's new political system and succession -- Economic revival and financial crisis -- Policy on oil and gas -- International economic integration : trade and investment policies -- Challenges of demography and health --...

"Compared to other regions of the world, the Middle East was once unique in its combination of authoritarianism and stultifying stability: No longer. Beginning in Tunisia, a wave of political upheaval has rolled across the region, reaching Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, and other countries caught...

This Selected Issues paper covers three topics of particular relevance to Mauritania: export competitiveness and exchange rate policy, the monetary policy framework, and the transfer of government deposits from commercial banks to the central bank. The paper reports on the recent economic...

This Selected Issues paper on Sri Lanka underlies the dynamics of growth and external competitiveness. The slowdown in the contribution of sectors that are labor intensive, together with faster growth in sectors that are capital intensive and have higher productivity levels, resulted in total...

This Selected Issues paper on Sri Lanka provides background information on economic developments and on selected policy issues facing Sri Lanka. The main economic developments in 1996 and the first quarter of 1997 are discussed. The paper highlights that in 1996, a severe drought, power...

This Selected Issues paper on Sri Lanka provides background information on economic developments during 1995 and the first half of 1996 and on key policy issues in the current setting. The paper notes that the economic situation has deteriorated on a number of fronts—inflation has risen;...