With a modest recovery in the global economy underway, and amid rising concerns about the sharp increase in government debt in several countries, debate has increasingly focused on the need to identify and implement fiscal exit strategies. This paper reviews the medium-term plans of 25 countries...

The economic and financial crisis is affecting the fiscal accounts of virtually every country. Public sector support for the financial system, fiscal stimulus and the automatic stabilizers, as well as the revenue decline from the downturn in commodity and asset prices, are leading to sharp...

The IMF is in the process of revising its 2001 Code of Good Practices on Fiscal Transparency. The four core principles of the original Code remain unchanged in the revision: institutional clarity, open budget processes, public information and integrity. However, the document has been updated and...

This paper responds to the Board's call for greater consistency in fiscal reporting in line with GFSM 2001. In this context, the paper summarizes the framework, reviews the implementation process of the GFSM 2001 framework by member countries and Fund staff, and proposes pilot studies. It seeks...

The paper is organized as follows: Section II provides a cross-country overview of the economic conditions, including the composition of sovereign debt and its dynamics prevailing prior to the debt operations, and a discussion of the scope and outcomes-in terms of the debt relief provided by...

The IMF has revised its Code of Good Practices on Fiscal Transparency, following a public consultation process. Nine new practices have been added to the Code and many existing practices have been broadened in scope. The four pillars of the original Code remain unchanged: clarity of roles and...

IMF advice on fiscal policy is given within a strong accounting framework. Published sources in the last ten years show the direction and change of advice. The treatment of central bank losses, government arrears, and credit subsidies are discussed as examples. Advice on taxation, expenditure,...

International coordination of macroeconomic policies has attracted much attention in recent years. The main issue has been whether economic performance can be improved by coordination Although it is still a controversial issue many economists have argued that coordination would make a positive...

Fiscal discipline is essential to improve and sustain economic performance, maintain macroeconomic stability, and reduce vulnerabilities. Discipline is especially important if countries, industrial as well as developing, are to successfully meet the challenges, and reap the benefits, of economic...