This 2002 Article IV Consultation highlights that in 2001, overall real growth for Kuwait fell slightly as oil output dropped following OPEC-mandated production cuts. The real non-oil GDP growth decelerated to 0.5 percent from 1 percent in 2000 as the private sector investment remained broadly...

While large inflows of capital into Southeastern Europe (SEE) have raised incomes, this has increased vulnerability to financial risks, which, if realized, can lead to costly adjustments. Traditional vulnerability indicators in SEE have reached levels that in other countries have not been...

This paper reviews the progress made by the Tunisian authorities in their efforts to liberalize the capital account and highlights the potential benefits of implementing the remaining reforms in this area. It also analyzes the developments within a unified analytical framework, provides...

This Selected Issues paper on the Republic of Kosovo’s 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights growth and Kosovo’s external environment. In the wake of the global financial crisis, Kosovo’s economic growth slowed but remained positive, while most other Western Balkans...

What accounts for variations in FDI flows from advanced to developing countries? How have FDI inflows explained cross-country growth experiences? In this paper we tackle both these questions empirically for a large sample of middle and low-income countries. Two key results emerge: (i) lower...

This Selected Issues paper reviews the extent to which growth in Ethiopia has translated into higher living standards. A key feature of the economic strategy has been an explicit commitment to poverty reduction and structural transformation. This is underpinned by the vision of a...

São Tomé and Principe’s economy is heavily dependent on the international economy. The study assessed the country's macroeconomic, structural, and social policies in support of growth and poverty reduction. The implementation of the National poverty reduction strategy (NPRS) through People's...

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...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes the effect of international migration on unemployment in New Zealand. The empirical results in this paper suggest that net migration inflows give rise to a fall in the unemployment rate. The paper estimates a system of equations including the unemployment...