In the last few years, Vietnam's macroeconomic situation has followed a predictable pattern. When faced with external shocks the authorities have opted to protect the country's rapid growth rate, even if it meant tolerating higher levels of macroeconomic instability. This has meant modest growth...

The Iran Economic Monitor provides an update on key economic developments and policies over the past six months. It examines these economic developments and policies in a longer-term and global context, and assesses their implications for the outlook for the country. Its coverage has ranged from...

India has among the lowest female labor force participation rates (LFPRs) in the world. In particular, low female LFPR is a drag on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and an obstacle towards reaching a higher growth path. Women are also an untapped source of managerial and entrepreneurial...

The Afghanistan Development Update, which is published twice a year, provides a comprehensive report of the state of the Afghan economy. It covers recent economic developments and outlines the medium-term outlook for Afghanistan. Afghanistan. Each edition includes a section that provides...

Pakistan's economy continues to grow strongly, emerging as one of the top performers in South Asia. Beneath the surface, however, a number of warning signs are emerging. Revenue growth is slowing, with the fiscal deficit growing for the first time in three years. Exports continue to fall as...

The Thai economy runs on a single engine: external demand. The economic roller coaster since the onset of the global financial crisis can be overwhelmingly attributed to fluctuations in the output of three sectors most sensitive to external demand: manufacturing, logistics (transportation and...

Zimbabwe's economy grew by 0.7 percent in 2016 despite the combined effect of the El Nino drought and domestic financial turmoil. The drought reduced agricultural output and increased food prices towards the end of the year, despite the government's efforts to boost production and stabilize...

The outlook for FY2011 has changed since the last macroeconomic update in October 2010.1 While gross development product (GDP) growths is still projected to be around 6.2 percent in FY11, inflationary pressures have strengthened and the external position has weakened. Rising energy and food...

For the last three years, Pakistan has been making efforts to revive strong and sustained growth. The economy was badly destabilized by the turmoil in the international commodity and financial markets in 2007-2008 and the lack of adequate domestic policy responses to manage those external...

The firming of the economic recovery is putting the policy spotlight back on the longer term challenge of faster, more inclusive Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. Modest investment rates despite attractive returns and low savings rates despite favorable demographics are important impediments....