The paper assesses the degree of banking competition and efficiency in Italy?over time as well as compared to that in other countries, such as France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The paper finds competition in the Italian banking sector has intensified in loan and...

Assiduously tracking the trends and consequences of globalization, the IMF's quarterly magazine Finance & Development has been a major forum for discussing-and dissecting-the policy options and challenges faced by governments in an era when many national decisions transcend borders. This...

This study provides information on official financing for developing countries with the focus on low and lower-middle-income countries. It updates the 1995 edition and reviews developments in direct financing by offical and multilateral sources. Topics of interest include external debt...

This paper presents a study that focuses on specific adjustment programs for limited periods and is aimed largely at analyzing the short-run implications of the policy measures. The longer run implications are also discussed whenever relevant, since much of the rationale for policies and many of...

This paper reports an updated assessment of movements in official financing for developing countries during 1997-1999. The composition of official financing flows changed too; as a result of the Asian crisis Member states of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) increased official...