The global crisis has underscored the need for effective global financial safety nets to protect countries with sound policy frameworks from adverse outcomes. Complementing the traditional crisis resolution role of the IMF, which has been instrumental during the recent crisis and is expected to...

This paper presents for Executive Board approval proposals for the FY 10-12 medium-term administrative budget, and the FY 10 capital budget in the context of the FY 10-12 capital plan. It also proposes to carry forward up to six percent of the unspent resources from the FY 09 administrative...

The purpose of the monitoring and evaluation process is to determine to what extent proposed actions/sub-actions have been accomplished, and to take policy corrective action to accomplish the objectives of the National Development Strategy. Monitoring and evaluation is done on the basis of...

The Fund's existing facilities for low-income countries (LICs) provide a vehicle for the speedy provision of financial assistance to member countries hit by natural disasters, either through the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) or through augmentation of the funding already being provided through...

This paper describes how economic behavior in the market for health care in the United States is influenced by a range of impediments to the functioning of the price mechanism which impart an upward bias to health care costs and imply efficiency losses. The paper also considers how to reform the...

Using data for a sample of developing and transition countries, this paper estimates the relationship between government spending on health care and education, and social indicators. Unlike previous studies, where social indicators are used as proxies for the unobservable health and education...

The past century has been marked by rapid advances in human welfare. People in most parts of the world are healthier and are living longer. While this trend is likely to continue, hopes are fading in some regions where progress slowed or stopped in the1990s, primarily as a result of the AIDS...

In the aftermath of the revolution of 2011, Libya faces the complex task of rebuilding its economy, infrastructure, and institutions, and responding to the demands of the population, especially for improved governance. The conflict that accompanied the revolution had a severe impact on the...

The report describes the policy framework for the Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS) and the vision for Afghanistan's developments. It reviews the progress under I-ANDS, analyzes the macroeconomic environment, characteristics of poverty and the policy goals, assesses the...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.