This Joint Advisory Note on the Democratic Republic of the Congo discusses economic growth and employment-creating sectors. The agriculture and mining sectors are projected to continue their expansion, while simultaneously raising labor productivity and freeing up labor. The urban population is...

This paper focuses on Sudan’s Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRPS). I-PRSP will support existing planning and budgeting instruments, including the 3-Year Salvation Economic Program (SEP) 2012–2014 and the 5-Year Development Plan (2012–2016), by strengthening the...

Mali’s territorial integrity is threatened, questioning its internal capacity to face challenges and especially to ensure the physical safety of goods and individuals. The government is committed to implement all measures to overcome this situation. More specifically, it will increase...

This Selected Issues paper attempts to analyze the end-point problem and improve the quality of potential GDP estimates for Germany. It projects that Germany’s potential GDP growth will slow over the coming decade, mainly because of declining labor input. The paper focuses on a long-term...

This Selected Issues paper highlights key policy challenges for accelerating growth on a sustainable basis and reducing external and financial vulnerabilities in the Republic of Croatia. A significant reduction in public expenditure would be needed to simultaneously provide room for cutting...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes the unconventional energy boom in North America, and its macroeconomic implications and challenges for Canada. The unconventional energy boom has had significant positive effects on Canada’s economic activity and has the potential to contribute even...

The 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights that the near-term outlook for Belgium is challenging, with real GDP expected to drop by about 3 percent in 2009 and a gradual recovery projected for 2010. The unemployment rate will continue to rise in 2010, and inflation pressures are expected to...

This technical note explains stress testing for Portugal’s financial sector. A core part of the banking stress tests was the bottom-up exercise implemented by individual institutions. The bottom-up stress tests focus only on the impact of expected losses on indicators of profitability and...