According to the national household survey conducted during the summer and autumn of 2005, poverty in Afghanistan (headcount rate) is about 33 percent. Economic performance since the fall of the Taliban regime has been strong, and macroeconomic stability has been maintained. During...

This paper discusses findings of the Technical Assistance Evaluation Report for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Overall, the authorities indicated that technical assistance (TA) and training had been very useful in improving its statistical systems and statistics. The approach to...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note discusses the Poverty Reduction Strategy Progress (PRSP) Reports for Serbia and Montenegro. Although the strong economic growth in recent years in Serbia has improved average living standards, the reports note that its impact on poverty reduction remains...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note provides World Bank and IMF staff analysis, and advices on key priorities to be strengthened during the implementation of the second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP-2) in Mauritania. The PRSP-2 conveys an ambitious poverty reduction strategy based on a set...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note (JSAN) reviews the Second Accelerated Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (SDARP) of Niger, which provides a framework for implementing the government’s growth and poverty reduction agenda. It provides a thorough poverty diagnosis, sectoral plans,...

This paper analyzes the effectiveness of technical assistance provided by AFRITAC West (AFW) in the area of national accounts using the Fund's Technical Assistance Information Management System (TAIMS). The challenge has been to report on "ultimate outcomes" (i.e., the production and...

This paper presents the Joint Staff Assessment of Serbia and Montenegro’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The PRSP for Serbia and Montenegro comprises a union-level overview and a PRSP for each of the two republics. The Montenegrin PRSP is broadly in line with the Agenda of...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note reviews the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Progress Report for Mongolia. Recent economic developments have been broadly favorable. Real GDP growth exceeded 10.5 percent in 2004 and is expected to remain robust, at about 5.5 percent in 2005, with a recovery in...

Comprehensive coverage of national accounts estimates is important; however, it is often thwarted by gaps in the recording of economic activity – the so-called “unrecorded economy”. This paper sets out pragmatic statistical approaches for incorporating the unrecorded economy in the...

Rising fuel subsidies have contributed to fiscal pressures in India. A key policy concern regarding subsidy reform is the adverse welfare impact on households, in particular poor households. This paper evaluates the fiscal and welfare implications of fuel subsidy reform in India. Fuel subsidies...