This paper discusses Colombia’s 2005 Article IV Consultation, Fourth Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), and Requests for Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria. Real economic growth in Colombia recovered to 4 percent a year in 2003–04. The national unemployment...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes the entrenched inflation in Russia. It presents a possible explanation for the entrenched inflation stating that the Russian economy is facing increasing supply-side constraints in goods and labor markets. The paper focuses on measuring the performance of...

This Selected Issues paper examines the driving factors for the broad movements of investment over the past decade in Poland. After booming for half a decade, Poland’s investment plummeted during 2001–03 and has recovered only marginally since then. The paper provides a historical...

This Selected Issues paper of Portugal highlights the discussions on the requirement of policies to overcome structural and cyclical impediments to growth, and secure fiscal consolidation. It analyzes the strength of the company balance sheets in supporting the rebound from recession, and also...

This Selected Issues paper on Germany reviews investment trends and business capital stock in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Sharp wage increases are found to boost capital formation in the short term as employers substitute capital for labor at a...

The study on selected issues first focuses on business fixed investment, then analyzes the profitability of Germany’s banking sector and looks at restructuring options, and finally, examines the international dimensions of Germany’s financial sector. The paper reviews the various...

Poverty risk is most marked for children, displaced persons and returnees, unemployed, and people with low education. Basic goals of the macroeconomic framework of the mid-term development strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina are to reduce the overall public expenditures, lower the public debt,...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

In this study, China’s economic developments and policies are discussed. Economic growth has been increased by expanding infrastructure and real estate construction. The policy measures outlined in the twelfth five-year plan and implementation of financial reform are important for...

This paper reviews the progress made by the Tunisian authorities in their efforts to liberalize the capital account and highlights the potential benefits of implementing the remaining reforms in this area. It also analyzes the developments within a unified analytical framework, provides...