This paper presents an assessment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's eligibility for assistance under the enhanced initiative for heavily indebted poor countries. The country has made remarkable progress in consolidating the peace process, stabilizing the economic situation, and creating...

This paper assesses Mali’s progress under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, and seeks Board approval of the completion point under the enhanced framework. By end-December 2002, the policy reforms for the floating completion point under the enhanced HIPC Initiative had...

Using available data on the distribution of HIV/AIDS prevalence across population groups for four sub-Saharan African countries and transposing this information to household income and expenditure surveys, we simulate the impact of HIV/AIDS on poverty and inequality. We find that the epidemic...

The paper evaluates the impact of HIV/AIDS on welfare in several countries affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Unlike studies focusing on the impact of HIV/AIDS on GDP per capita, we evaluate the impact of increased mortality using estimates of the value of statistical life. Our results...

This paper assesses Niger’s performance in meeting the requirements for reaching the completion point under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The paper reviews the status of creditor participation and the delivery of debt relief to Niger under the enhanced...

This paper presents an assessment of the Central African Republic’s (C.A.R) qualifications for assistance under the Enhanced HIPC Initiative. Stronger policy implementation has helped the economic growth of the C.A.R. under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement....

The global crisis had a severe impact on the Italian economy despite elements of strength such as high private savings, low private indebtedness, and a resilient financial system. Executive Directors decided that the public sector wage bill should remain a key element of the consolidation...

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...

This Selected Issues paper on the Republic of Korea reviews near-term economic prospects and risks. Korea experiences solid growth with low inflation, and vulnerabilities to potential shocks appear low. With Korea aging at an almost unprecedented rate, spending on pensions, health, and long-term...

Many Asian countries (such as China, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines) will experience a significant aging of their populations during the next several decades. This paper explores how these aging Asian countries are addressing and anticipating the...