There has been a growing awareness of the income distribution dimension of macroeconomic policies. This paper presents a framework for studying this issue empirically, and considers the case of the Philippines using data available from integrated surveys of households. After developing and...

This paper considers flow-of-funds accounting and analysis in relation to the forthcoming revision of the United Nations’ System of National Accounts (SNA), with emphasis on the problems faced by developing countries in this area. After a survey of the uses of flow-of-funds data, we conclude...

The paper examines empirically the question of whether more unequal societies spend more on income redistribution than their more egalitarian counterparts. Theoretical arguments on this issue are inconclusive. The political economy literature suggests that redistributive spending is higher in...

Developing and transition economies are prone to financial crises, including balance of payments and banking crises. These crises affect poverty and the distribution of income through a variety of channels: slowdowns in economic activity, relative price changes, and fiscal retrenchment, among...

The resumption of economic growth in Latin America is predicated on the successful restoration of fiscal discipline and stabilization. In restoring fiscal discipline, the mix of policy instruments should aim at maximizing efficiency in the use of domestic and foreign resources. Poverty...

This paper examines developments in Albania’s income distribution and poverty during the transition to a market-oriented economy. It pays particular attention to the impact of price liberalization on the agricultural terms of trade and production, the decline in state enterprise employment,...

This paper examines the impact of macroeconomic and financial sector policy announcements in the United States, the United Kingdom, the euro area, and Japan during the recent crisis on interbank credit and liquidity risk premia. Announcements of interest rate cuts, liquidity support, liability...

This paper examines and compares the instruments and procedures currently employed by the central banks of France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States for implementing monetary policy in the short run. The analysis indicates that the monetary authorities of these five...

In April 1990, the U.K. Government implemented the largest change to local authority finance in England and Wales since the postwar period. It involves the introduction of a poll tax on domestic residents, the centralization of local business taxes, and an overhaul of Central Government grants....

This paper reviews the first five years’ experience with inflation targeting in the United Kingdom. It concludes that inflation performance was not significantly different under inflation targeting than predicted by a VAR model estimated in the period prior to participation in the exchange...