The paper discusses reform in public financial management in small, resource-constrained economies such as the Pacific island countries (PICs). It describes the efforts undertaken by PICs in the past and assesses their results. A principal conclusion is that reform in public financial management...

This report provides an assessment of fiscal transparency practices in Portugal against the requirements of the IMF Code of Good Practices on Fiscal Transparency. IMF staff observed that Portugal meets the requirements of fiscal transparency code in several areas. Significant progress has also...

With increasing frequency, the IMF has assisted middle-income countries, especially emerging economies, in adopting the types of budget reforms that have been introduced in many Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries - reforms that emphasize performance and...

The public sector in Peru is clearly distinguished from the rest of the economy, but the existence of various legal and statistical definitions of the government makes it difficult to demarcate it clearly from the rest of the public sector. The recent constitutional reform has strengthened the...

Do fiscal rules likely lead to fiscal adjustment, or do they encourage the use of ‘creative accounting’? This question is studied with a model in which fiscal rules are imposed on ‘measured’ fiscal variables, which can differ from ‘true’ variables because there is a margin for...

This Report assesses the Observance of Standards and Codes on Fiscal Transparency for Lebanon. There appears to be insufficient public understanding of, or interest in, the critical need for sustained fiscal reforms. The government’s program of reform needs to be based on more analysis,...

This Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) examines Fiscal Transparency for Cyprus. The report reveals that Cyprus has been making major progress in improving fiscal transparency, helped by the government’s efforts to strengthen budget management systems and comply with...

Fiscal decentralization is likely to entail a bias in the budget process toward higher public expenses and deficits. The paper reviews lessons drawn from the theoretical literature and international experience on the design of intergovernmental relations. The institutional setup should address...

This paper discusses key findings of the assessment on observance of standards and codes on fiscal transparency for Thailand. The assessment reveals that Thailand meets requirements of the fiscal transparency code in many respects and exceeds them in a few cases. The legal framework underlying...

The report presents a reassessment of fiscal transparency practices in the Republic of Cameroon, in comparison with the principles of the IMF Code of Good Practices on Fiscal Transparency. It is the follow-up to a pilot report prepared by the IMF on transparency in fiscal management. The first...