This paper seeks to draw lessons from the IMF’s experience in handling financial crises around the globe over the past ten years that are relevant to the challenges faced by countries in Latin America, especially in the wake of the recent crisis in Argentina. Experience suggests that...

This Selected Issues paper examines prospects for increasing growth and reducing poverty in the Solomon Islands. The paper highlights that agriculture constitutes the largest sector of the Solomon Islands economy, averaging about 20 percent of GDP throughout the 1990s. The Solomon Islands also...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation of Rwanda reports that although the recovery in primary activities has been relatively rapid, formal sector activity registered a mixed performance. The expansion of government programs in health, education, water and energy, would widen the structural deficit...

This paper discusses the Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) for Guinea. Agreement in principle was reached on the SMP from April 2005 to March 2006. The program would support the authorities’ efforts in restoring macroeconomic stability and establish a track record of policy implementation to...

This paper discusses Iraq’s request for Stand-By Arrangement for 15 months from December 2005 through March 2007, which they intend to treat as precautionary. The authorities’ policies have succeeded in promoting overall macroeconomic stability despite the extremely difficult...

Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) showed commendable growth owing to its strong macroeconomic performance and structural reforms under the economic program. Executive Directors commended the fiscal performance, bank restructuring, and the private sector developments, and stressed the...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

This paper presents an update to the Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) on Fiscal Transparency Module for the Republic of Poland. The original ROSC concluded that boundaries of the general government were well defined by the public finance law, but proliferation of...

This paper discusses the Financial Sector Assessment Program focusing on Detailed Assessment of Implementation of the International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO) Objectives and Principles of Securities Regulation for Italy. The IOSCO Principles list a number of preconditions to...