This paper reviews Azerbaijan’s State Program on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development 2003–2005 (SPPRED). The Poverty Reduction Program in Azerbaijan has attracted an extensive and high degree of interest, matching its complexity and scope. The main objective of the SPPRED is to define...

The report provides the details of the assessment on Mongolia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. It describes the Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EGPRS), which presents main policy directions of the government with a focus on economic growth acceleration and poverty reduction...

Fiscal policy has a strong foundation in the multiyear program of spending cuts, tax reforms, and deficit reduction in Germany. Germany's focus on actual, rather than cyclically adjusted, fiscal goals and outcomes carries the risk of rendering fiscal policy procyclical. The recent business and...

The three-point VAT increase is part of a package in which unemployment payroll taxes will be reduced. Risks to the recovery are balanced but the range of forecasts for 2007 is unusually wide. The priority for Germany is to transmit its external strength to the domestic economy, thus further...

The staff report for the 2004 Article IV Consultation on Germany highlights economic developments and policies. Profitability in nonfinancial firms has picked up, and corporate balance sheets are being repaired. On the policy front, Germany has made important headway over the past year in...

The 2003 Article IV Consultation discussions took place against a backdrop of serious concerns about the health and prospects for the economy. The authorities saw the revised policy strategy as providing an important boost to confidence and the right balance of supply-side initiatives and...

This 2002 Article IV Consultation highlights that the real GDP of the Netherlands is projected to rise by 1 percent in 2002, implying a return of growth to about 3 percent at an annual rate in the second half, and to rise by 3 percent in 2003. The pickup reflects an improvement in the worldwide...

This 1999 Article IV Consultation highlights that the monetary conditions in Germany have eased significantly since late 1998, reflecting both policy actions and exchange rate developments. Short-term interest rates were reduced by the Bundesbank to 3 percent in December 1998 and, in the new...