This paper reports on progress made on Nicaragua’s National Human Development Plan as of 2010. The operational goal for Nicaragua’s National Human Development Plan is economic growth with increased employment and reduced inequality and poverty. The results for 2007–10...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes sustaining potential growth in Aruba. As in the other Caribbean countries, there are growing concerns in Aruba about the slowdown in economic growth over the past two decades and the consequent tepid outlook for potential growth. Tackling such concerns...

This paper looks at the empirical record whether big infrastructure and public capital drives have succeeded in accelerating economic growth in low-income countries. It looks at big long-lasting drives in public capital spending, as these were arguably clear and exogenous policy decisions. On...

Output gap estimates are subject to a wide range of uncertainty owing to data revisions and the difficulty in distinguishing between cycle and trend in real time. This is important given the central role in monetary policy of assessments of economic activity relative to capacity. We show that...

This paper discusses key findings of the 2005 Status Report on Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) on Niger. The report is based on an assessment of economic and financial performance and sectoral policy and strategy implementation in 2005. The findings reveal that implementation of the...

The development policy of Cape Verde has evolved in a setting of severe structural constraints and persistent restrictions, with potential impediments to growth. The ongoing process of change adopts a transformation strategy closely linked to the consolidation of a democracy based on sound...

This 2010 Progress Report on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) focuses on the poverty condition in Mali. The incidence of poverty in Mali fell from 55.6 percent in 2001 to 43.6 percent in 2010. Over the past decade, poverty has fallen in rural areas, in Bamako, and in other urban...