Work absence is an important part of the individual decision on actual working hours. This paper focuses on sickness absence in Europe and develops a stylized model where absence is part of the labor-leisure decision made by workers and the production decision made by profit-maximizing firms,...

Benin’s program furthers the objectives elaborated in the previous report. It is the result of a broad participative process that engaged all levels of government, the private sector, civil society, and donor partners. Executive Directors commend the program as it provides an adequate...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note on the Republic of Tajikistan’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper discusses economic development and policies. The authorities are working on enhancing Tajikistan’s investment climate through a range of measures, including through eliminating...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note focuses on the progress report (PR) of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Côte d’Ivoire. The PR notes the difficulty of implementing the PRSP in a period of continued political crisis and civil conflict. It emphasizes that economic performance was...

Guyana continues to make progress in laying the foundation for poverty reduction, but at a slow pace. Critical issues remain to be addressed. Establishing an environment for sustained growth remains the main challenge for the government. It will be important to maintain the reform momentum and...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note discusses Afghanistan’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper's annual progress report. Afghanistan has experienced a number of extraordinary challenges that delayed its implementation. The security situation deteriorated markedly and has been dominated by the...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note provides IMF staff advice on key priorities for strengthening the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II) for Ghana and for ensuring its effective implementation. It highlights critical areas that could justify renewed focus. IMF staff commends the Ghanaian...

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...

Lesotho’s National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) serves as an implementation strategy for the national vision. It recognizes the significant challenges Lesotho faces in reducing poverty and making growth more broad-based. Overall, it presents a coherent analysis and offers an...

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...