Russia’s short-term economic growth has accelerated above its long term trend, defying weak global conditions. In 2007, the economy grew by 8.1 percent on the heels of very high (and perhaps unsustainable) oil prices, robust domestic demand and strong macroeconomic fundamentals. Preliminary...

This note discusses the external environment, economic outlook, and key policy challenges for the six South East European Countries (SEE6)—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH), Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia—as they seek to reignite economic...

On July 1, 2013, Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union. This achievement crowned more than a decade of macroeconomic and institutional reforms by the Croatian authorities and other stakeholders that yielded important development results. Croatia's institutions are now stronger...

Integration of knowledge with lending is an enduring theme in World Bank strategies at the corporate and country levels. The Bank lending instruments could be more relevant and produce better results if they incorporate key analytical, country-level knowledge. The goal of this learning product...

The paper analyzes the following three questions of importance for the quality of design and effectiveness of the World Bank's budget support (development policy operations--DPOs): What has been the quality of macro-fiscal frameworks and their building blocks in DPOs? What factors may be related...

The report reviews recent economic developments in Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia), focusing on fiscal, external, financial sector, and labor market issues -- with a spotlight on youth unemployment -- and a short-term outlook for...

Russia has seen even higher oil windfall in the past few months, which translates into likely fiscal surpluses 2011 and 2012. The government should not miss the opportunity provided by a large oil windfall to substantially improve its long-term fiscal position, further reduce inflation, and,...