This note is on Korea’s transition to a knowledge-based economy, the prospects and challenges ahead, and the development of its financial sector. Assessment of recent government initiatives to develop capital markets has been presented. The note discusses restrictions on Chaebol ownership...

This Selected Issues paper for Denmark shows that a demographic shift will have several impacts on the economy. The decline in the relative size of the labor force will result in relatively fewer goods produced. This effect will be particularly strong, because a large portion of the current...

This 2012 Article IV Consultation highlights that economic growth in Luxembourg slowed in 2011 amid the euro area sovereign debt crisis. Reflecting sluggish external demand, economic activity is expected to further weaken, with growth projected to decline to ½ percent in 2012. Executive...

This 2007 Article IV Consultation highlights that Malta’s economic recovery is gaining traction, owing in large part to cyclical strength and some structural change. A public investment boom, financed largely by grants from the European Union, reignited growth in 2005. A modest recovery...

This Selected Issues Paper discusses some observations on Singapore’s monetary policy framework. Singapore’s monetary policy uses the nominal effective exchange rate (NEER) as the instrument in a basket-band-crawl framework. The paper finds that under some conditions an exchange...

Denmark’s flexicurity model has performed well during the crisis. The actions and the improvement in economic conditions have restored overall stability to the banking system. Private consumption has been dented by the decline in housing prices and net household wealth. Exports have...

The Sixth Five Year Plan, as outlined in Bangladesh's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, targets strategic growth and employment. The medium-term macroeconomic framework plan entails the involvement of both the private and public sectors. Human resources development strategy programs reaching out...

Estonia has succeeded in reducing its macroeconomic imbalances and vulnerabilities, but faces the challenge of preserving its hard-earned fiscal and financial stability and enhancing long-term growth prospects. In this regard, adopting a fully fledged medium-term fiscal framework can help assess...

This paper examines Romania’s external stability risks. Recent Romanian data indicate high increases in real wages, not matched by comparable productivity gains. Both the government and the National Bank of Romania (NBR) have highlighted the importance of a responsible and stabilizing...