The optimal provision of loan guarantees or deposit insurance is examined in the context of an overlapping generations model. It is demonstrated that even in the face of a market imperfection that precludes diversification of the private sector’s loan portfolio to eliminate risk, full...

A firm theoretical basis for the empirical relationship between dependency rates and savings behavior in developing countries is still lacking. Two demographic extensions of the representative household’s stochastic dynamic optimization problem are presented here. It is shown that the...

This paper examines whether financial deregulation in the 1980s has reduced the importance of liquidity constraints in consumption patterns. Data for six industrialized countries are used to estimate a simple model incorporating liquidity constraints and forward looking behavior. It is concluded...

Since its independence in 1975, the Union of Comoros has been deeply affected by political and institutional crises. Resolution of the separatist crisis on the island of Anjouan and subsequent national consolidation has constituted a historic turning point. The government has begun a...

Lao P.D.R.'s risks of external and overall debt distress continue to be assessed as high. Under the revised low-income country debt sustainability framework (LIC DSF), its debt carrying capacity has deteriorated and most external and total public debt indicators breach their respective...

This report provides an update of the assessment of Lao P.D.R.'s macroeconomic conditions and outlook presented at the time of the 2004 Article IV Consultation and in the Assessment Letter of March 10, 2005

The staff report for the 2007 Article IV Consultation on the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) explains economic performance. Growth is robust and increasingly reliant on large export-oriented mining and hydropower projects. The economic outlook is promising, but the outcome clearly...

This paper on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) on the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) explains macroeconomic, structural, and social policies in support of growth and poverty reduction, as well as associated external financing needs and major sources of financing. The Lao...