This Selected Issues paper describes labor market trends in Belarus and the role of labor market institutions in the outcome. The paper examines the current status of the tax system in Belarus and assesses recent efforts to reform it. It argues that the current tax system in Belarus is...

This paper assesses Estonia’s flexibility from two angles. The paper focuses on one aspect of that performance—the ability to sustain competitiveness. Then, a more forward-looking angle is the flexibility of Estonia’s labor and product markets. Estonia has made great...

Based on the economic literature, various policy measures and institutions in the product and labor markets that increase growth and employment are studied. From a cross-country approach, this study finds a significant relationship between Vertical Fiscal Imbalances (VFIs) and fiscal performance...

This paper reviews economic developments in Mali during 1990–94. In the tertiary sector, trade continued to be the leading source of value added; its share in GDP increased continuously, from 17 percent in 1989 to 18.5 percent in 1993. This was compensated by a marked decline of the share of public...

After weakening in 1999, GDP growth has increased strongly in 2000, led by exports. The savings-investment gap has increased from 13⁄4 percent of GDP in 1998 to 31⁄4 percent of GDP in 1999, widening further to 7 percent of GDP in 2000. Agriculture has grown by 41⁄2 percent in 1999,...