This report assesses the Annual Progress Report on the implementation of the Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Program (SDPRP), which is the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for Ethiopia. It reviews the fundamental development objectives of the SDPRP to build a free-market economic...

This report reviews the Joint Staff Assessment of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Annual Progress Report for The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. It summarizes the Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Program (SDPRP), which is the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for...

This Selected Issues paper for Australia highlights the dynamics of the Australian real exchange rate and its impact on Australia’s trade. The main findings are that the Australian real exchange rate is largely driven by world commodity prices and that it adjusts relatively rapidly to...

This Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for Nigeria highlights the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS). NEEDS gives special support to agriculture, industry, small and medium-scale enterprises, and oil and gas. Under the plan, the government will seek long-term capital...

This paper on recent developments and regional policy issues in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) discusses the recent development and trends in economic integration. Trade restrictions and an uneven application of CEMAC rules constrain external and intraregional trade....

This 2005 Article IV Consultation highlights that the macroeconomic performance and financial developments in Trinidad and Tobago are currently being driven by a highly favorable external environment. Surging oil prices have strengthened the external current account balance, financed an...

This paper focuses on euro area policies. The monetary policy stance remains appropriate for now. Fiscal policies are falling well short of consolidation requirements, and the area remains insufficiently prepared for the looming demographic shock. Past fiscal policy failures, notably...

This study examines the determinants of entry into by foreign firms, using information on 515 Chinese industries at the provincial level during 1998-2001. The analysis, rooted in the new economic geography, focuses on market and supplier access within and outside the province of entry, as well...

The staff report on Euro Area Policies highlights cyclical growth developments and risks. The area’s real GDP growth has picked up, responding to strong foreign demand and relaxed financial conditions. The final domestic demand growth remains subdued, and the area lags global growth by a...

Macroeconomic developments in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) region have been satisfactory, but risks to macroeconomic stability persist. The process of convergence remains slow and needs strengthening, notably through the adoption of a fiscal rule and the...