This paper examines the implications of elevated global food prices for inflation in select Central Asian economies - Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The findings suggest that global food inflation has significant short-run effects that build over time. Inflation...

This report updates the macroeconomic assessment of the impact of global food and fuel price increases provided in the IMF June 2008 Board paper: Food and Fuel Prices-Recent Developments, Macroeconomic Impact, and Policy Response. Food and oil prices peaked in early summer-in particular, oil...

This paper reviews economic developments in Barbados during the 1990s. Economic activity declined during 1990-92 but began to recover in 1993. The recovery started slowly in 1993, but picked up in 1994, and real GDP grew by 3.8 percent in that year. Adverse weather in 1994 led to a drop in sugar...

This Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for the Kingdom of Lesotho presents a determined plan in pursuance of high and sustainable equity-based economic growth. It contains medium-term objectives and strategies to address the major challenges facing the country. These challenges include employment...

This annual progress report reviews Burkina Faso’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). The regional integration dynamics was considered as an action variable that allowed Burkina Faso to better insert itself into the global economy. The major quantitative objectives of the revised...

Tanzania's Second National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP II) is a continuation of government and national commitments to accelerate economic growth and fight poverty. Though MKUKUTA I (NSGRP I) yielded demonstrable positive results, it failed to meet some targets. MKUKUTA...

It is vital to achieve both high levels of sustained, long lasting growth and better income distribution through the Accelerated Growth Strategy in Senegal. In terms of macroeconomic performance, the annual average growth rate dropped owing to exogenous shocks and low productivity in the...

This paper discusses key findings of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Côte d’Ivoire. The paper reveals that poverty is more acute in rural areas than in urban areas of Côte d’Ivoire. The increase of poverty is greater in the city of Abidjan, with about a 50 percent increase,...

This report summarizes the First Annual Progress Report on the Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (PRGS) program. It assesses the status of the strategy implementation and monitoring mechanism, and emphasizes the need to face enormous development challenges and curb poverty and unemployment....