This Selected Issues paper reviews the status and potential impacts of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. It draws on demographic projections and economic studies, and summarizes the official policy response and actions taken by the nongovernmental and business communities. It presents some stylized...

Burkina Faso has set up ambitious developmental goals and outlined policies and reforms to reach these goals under the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Sustained Development (SCADD). It is recognized that poverty alleviation is a long-term challenge, and there is greater scrutiny of the...

Executive Directors believe that the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) outlines a comprehensive framework for growth and poverty reduction in Ghana. The GPRS II rightly emphasizes private sector-led growth as key to broadening the country’s economic base. The GPRS II will...

This paper summarizes the Joint Staff Assessment (JSA) on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) of Tanzania. It analyzes the second Poverty Reduction Strategy Progress Report, and confirms that Tanzania continues to make significant progress both in terms of implementation of the country's...

This paper assesses the distributional impact of the recent VAT reform in the Philippines and evaluates alternative methods to mitigate the effects of the reform on poor households. The reform was progressive and relatively well targeted. To alleviate the impact of the reform on the poor,...