This staff report on United States 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights economic policies and development. The economy grew at an annual rate of 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2013, held down by sharp cuts in public spending, and economic indicators suggest that growth has remained weak...

Focus. The 2014 Article IV Consultation focused on five broad themes to strengthen the recovery and improve the long-term outlook: raising productivity growth and labor force participation, confronting poverty, keeping public debt on a sustained downward path, smoothly managing the exit from...

Samoa was hit hard by a strong tropical cyclone, and the authorities are to be commended for their swift response to the resulting disaster. Economic growth this fiscal year is expected to be significantly lower than projected prior to the cyclone, but there are encouraging signs of early...

Portugal's program implementation is on track despite difficult economic conditions and significant legal challenges. The markedly weaker economic outlook provides a strong case for recalibrating the program’s fiscal targets. This strong adjustment effort needs to be consolidated by...

The short-term objectives are being met, but medium-term targets and sustainability have to be worked on. The impressive fiscal adjustment evident since the crisis erupted is continuing. The Executive Directors commend the Greek government’s determination to focus on overdue spending...

This 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights that on the back of new policy framework, growth in Japan accelerated sharply in early 2013. First quarter GDP growth rose to 4.1 percent (seasonally adjusted annual rate) after two quarters of stagnation. Rising equity values stimulated consumption,...

Greece adopted an ambitious program to eliminate fiscal and current account imbalances, regain competitiveness, maintain financial stability, and boost growth and employment. While significant fiscal adjustment occurred, critical objectives such as regaining confidence and restoring growth were...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes the fiscal strength of the economy of the Czech Republic. Fiscal policy in the Czech Republic has shown a procyclical bias temporarily interrupted during the crisis years. The large stimulus implemented has been more than compensated by a frontloaded...

This staff report on the Republic of Serbia’s Article IV Consultation highlights economic background and policies. The global financial crisis exposed Serbia’s unsustainable growth model and its key vulnerabilities. Robust growth has not taken off, and economic activity is below...

Senegal's fiscal deficit and public debt have been on the rise in recent years owing partly to an ailing and inefficient oil-based energy sector. In this paper we use a two-sector, open-economy, dynamic general equilibrium model to investigate the effects of varying fiscal policy instruments one...