Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, ranking 146 out of 177 on the United Nations Human Development Index. The country has one of the lowest tax revenue-to-GDP ratios in the world (10.1 percent in 2005). To address these challenges, the authorities are requesting a...

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’s 2005 Article IV Consultation reports that domestic credit growth has accelerated, driven by strong demand from the government, public enterprises, and the private sector. High import content, particularly from public infrastructure...

The current cyclical upswing underscores the potential of the Polish economy with regard to EU accession and in the face of favorable global growth prospects. The current juncture offers good opportunities to lock in improved economic performance. Uncertainties remain regarding reducing the...

This paper discusses key findings of the Fourth Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for Madagascar. Program performance has been generally good. The authorities have continued to implement sound fiscal and monetary policies that have resulted in good macroeconomic...

The staff report for Ireland’s fifth review under the Extended Arrangement states that financial sector reforms continued to advance, with the two structural benchmarks for end-2011 observed. In particular, targets for bank deleveraging in 2011 were met, with almost €15 billion of...

This 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights that Côte d’Ivoire is recovering from a long period of economic stagnation and political conflict that culminated in the post-election crisis of end-2010 and early 2011. The conflict caused real per capita income to fall by more than 40 percent...

The staff report for the First Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania explains the macroeconomic outlook and fiscal policy. Despite a substantial oil revenue shortfall, the fiscal deficit target was...

Ireland’s strong policy implementation and market conditions have improved macroeconomic indicators to show positive signs. However, an uncertain medium-term outlook could hamper the prospects. Bank supported recovery through timely action on lingering financial sector issues has been...

The staff report for the Request for a Three-Year Policy Support Instrument (PSI) on Senegal explains economic developments. Allocations for priority spending suffered, and cash-flow problems resulted in payment delays to the private sector. The authorities intend to tackle key policy challenges...

This 2007 Article IV Consultation highlights that Iraq’s economic growth has been slower than expected at the time of the last Article IV Consultation, mainly because the expected expansion of oil production has not materialized. Following a decline in oil production and real GDP in 2005,...