This 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights that in a context of weakening economic conditions in Europe and sizeable fiscal consolidation and domestic policy uncertainty, the French economy flat lined in 2012. However, recent improvements in economic indicators support the expectation of a...

Since its independence in 2006, Montenegro has experienced an economic and financial roller coaster ride. The baseline is predicated on continued improvements in cost competitiveness and productivity-raising foreign direct investment (FDI). Avoiding a relapse into recession will thus require...

The staff report for the Netherlands’ 2009 Article IV Consultation describes the economic developments and policies. State interventions in the financial sector have been broadly appropriate and consistent with a sound fix-it-and-exit approach. Measures have included capital injections,...

This 2010 Article IV Consultation highlights that macroeconomic outcomes have weakened significantly for St. Lucia. Real GDP is estimated to have contracted by 5.2 percent in 2009, reflecting a sharp decline in visitor arrivals and construction activity related to foreign direct investment. For...

Portugal’s economic adjustment has continued, but the contraction in output has been milder than expected. The 2012 outlook for Europe has deteriorated substantially, with growth revised down by 1¼ percentage points relative to spring forecasts. Substantially higher capital...

This 2012 Article IV Consultation focuses on Italy’s economy, which is expected to continue contracting through the year owing to tight financial conditions, global slowdown, and the needed fiscal consolidation. The government has embarked on wide-ranging structural reforms to boost...

In this study, the stability of the economy of the Netherlands is overviewed. Bank profitability has recovered. The housing and mortgage markets are relatively stable, although vulnerabilities to household balance sheets are rising. The results of stress tests in the context of the Financial...

For a number of countries - Italy, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, and France - this paper develops an inter-temporal model that elicits the implied country-preferences over balancing the conflicting objectives of fiscal consolidation and reduction of economic slack. The model...

This paper empirically explores how fiscal policy (represented by increases in government spending) has asymmetric effects on economic activity at different levels of real interest rates. It suggests that the effect of fiscal policy depends on the level of real rates, since the Ricardian effect...

The recent boom and bust in commodity prices has raised concerns about the impact of volatile commodity prices on Latin American countries’ fiscal positions. Using a novel quarterly data set-which includes unique country-specific commodity price indices and a comprehensive measure of...