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...

The 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights that the near-term outlook for Belgium is challenging, with real GDP expected to drop by about 3 percent in 2009 and a gradual recovery projected for 2010. The unemployment rate will continue to rise in 2010, and inflation pressures are expected to...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes the performance of French banks and the financial support measures taken by the French government. France has a large and sophisticated financial system, which accounts for 10 percent of the global banking system and 5 percent of global capital markets. This...

The current crisis calls for two main sets of policy measures. First, measures to repair the financial system. Second, measures to increase demand and restore confidence. While some of these measures overlap, the focus of this note is on the second set of policies, and more specifically, given...

This paper presents a new database of systemic banking crises for the period 1970-2009. While there are many commonalities between recent and past crises, both in terms of underlying causes and policy responses, there are some important differences in terms of the scale and scope of...

This paper presents a new database on the timing of systemic banking crises and policy responses to resolve them. The database covers the universe of systemic banking crises for the period 1970-2007, with detailed data on crisis containment and resolution policies for 42 crisis episodes, and...

This paper first attempts to quantify the natural resource wealth of Suriname from the perspective of its impact on the fiscal position, and then assesses the fiscal sustainability gap in that context. It then presents models to address the question of the optimal path of fiscal consolidation...

This paper presents an overview of recent U.S. fiscal developments and discusses possible implications of the sharp turn around in the government’s fiscal position. Against this back ground, it also reviews key policy challenges that will need to be addressed to cope with the mounting...

This report provides an assessment of fiscal transparency practices in Portugal against the requirements of the IMF Code of Good Practices on Fiscal Transparency. IMF staff observed that Portugal meets the requirements of fiscal transparency code in several areas. Significant progress has also...

The paper presents key findings of the Joint Staff Assessment of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Sri Lanka. Despite the country’s substantial achievements in human development and the economy’s external openness, several factors have impeded Sri Lanka’s...