This Selected Issues paper highlights the Philippine growth performance led by the services sector. Average GDP growth is higher in the post-Asian crisis period in the Philippines, while the majority of the Philippines’s regional peers have experienced substantially lower growth in the...

This technical note discusses the banking system structure, performance, and medium-term challenges for Switzerland. The note discusses that the Swiss banking sector has been undergoing a substantial consolidation over the last 10 years, but retains a rich collection of institutional types...

Designed to meet the basic needs of economists and statisticians, this pamphlet is unique in providing an explanation of the key principles underlying macroeconomic statistics when viewed as an integrated system. It highlights the interrelationships between the various sectors and provides a...

The Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) was established by the IMF in 1996 to guide members that already had, or that might seek, access to international capital markets in providing key economic and financial data to the public. In the following year, the IMF established the General Data...

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...

This paper assesses Bulgaria’s 2002 Article IV Consultation, First Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), and a Request for Waiver of Non-observance and Waiver of Applicability. The authorities’ structural reform program is ambitious, but implementation needs to be stepped up. In...

Ukraine’s economic downturn has been sharper than originally envisaged, mostly reflecting the deterioration of the external environment. The staff report examines Ukraine’s first review under the Stand-By Arrangement, requests for Waivers of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria, and...

The economic and financial pressures facing Ireland are intense. The banking sector is at the fulcrum of Ireland’s problems. The program, therefore, aims to restore the banking system. It will address structural problems and restore confidence. A leaner and more robust banking sector is the...

This paper assesses key aspects of Bulgaria’s competitiveness. The behavior of a variety of a real exchange rate indicators and export performance is also examined in this study. The Balassa–Samuelson effect refers to the impact of differential productivity growth rates in the tradables and...