São Tomé and Principe’s economy is heavily dependent on the international economy. The study assessed the country's macroeconomic, structural, and social policies in support of growth and poverty reduction. The implementation of the National poverty reduction strategy (NPRS) through People's...

The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) on Burkina Faso explains the status of the PRSP, implementation, and key strategic areas. Actions to reduce the vulnerability of the poor have had more noticeable impact, as have actions to increase employment opportunities and promote...

No country has achieved sustained economic development without investment in education. Thus, education policy can play a vital role in facilitating development. But which types of schooling-secondary or tertiary-should public policy promote? This paper develops an analytical framework to...

This paper presents a technical note on Mexico’s Financial Sector Assessment Program update. The Mexican experience displays interesting characteristics that provide lessons for other countries that still need to design the decumulation phase of their newly established second pillars. The...

This 2007 Article IV Consultation highlights that Tonga’s real GDP growth is estimated to turn negative in FY06/07, declining by 3½ percent. The economy will continue to be subject to uncertainty and shocks. While economic growth should return to positive, albeit low, levels in the...

This 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights that The Zambian economy has performed well in recent years, with strong growth and modest inflation, and has high growth potential. The government has resolved to step up development by scaling up investment in infrastructure. The current fiscal...

This Selected Issues paper for the Russian Federation discusses existing empirical efforts to measure the determinants of cross-country financial integration. Empirical studies that have adopted the gravity-model framework have found that it is generally successful in explaining bilateral...

This paper focuses on Austria’s 2013 Article IV Consultation on economic development and policies related to labor demand and supply. Austria taxes labor heavily, and this practice explains in particular the limited labor supply of low-skilled workers and women. The IMF report highlights...

This Selected Issues paper analyses the impact that rising energy import prices might have on growth and inflation in Ukraine. The paper examines how rising gas prices might elevate macrofiscal risks in Ukraine’s state enterprise sector. It assesses Ukraine’s equilibrium exchange...

This 2008 Article IV Consultation highlights that Tonga’s economy has shown resilience in the aftermath of the November 2006 riots and is now on a path to recovery. The key factor underpinning this resilience has been private investment. Donor-supported government reconstruction loans are...