This Selected Issues paper examines prospects for increasing growth and reducing poverty in the Solomon Islands. The paper highlights that agriculture constitutes the largest sector of the Solomon Islands economy, averaging about 20 percent of GDP throughout the 1990s. The Solomon Islands also...

This paper discusses Iraq’s request for Stand-By Arrangement for 15 months from December 2005 through March 2007, which they intend to treat as precautionary. The authorities’ policies have succeeded in promoting overall macroeconomic stability despite the extremely difficult...

Mauritania successfully completed its previous poverty reduction growth facility arrangement in December 2002. The focus of this report is on the effectiveness of policies adopted in the last few years and the medium-term strategy. Macroeconomic stability under the IMF-supported program and the...

Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) showed commendable growth owing to its strong macroeconomic performance and structural reforms under the economic program. Executive Directors commended the fiscal performance, bank restructuring, and the private sector developments, and stressed the...

This paper estimates bond-by-bond "haircuts"-realized investor losses-in recent debt restructurings in Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan, Ecuador, Argentina, and Uruguay. We consider both external and domestic retructurings. Haircuts are computed as the percentage difference between the present values...

The 2006 Article IV Consultation, First Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility of Sierra Leone reviews sustainability of higher economic growth and reduction of poverty. Sierra Leone has made progress in improving governance and transparency, but...

The main challenges for this review were to further redress long-running problems in the energy sector and to balance fiscal policy requirements for development spending with macroeconomic stability. The financial position of the state-owned electricity company (KESH) deteriorated significantly...

A financial program that aims to ensure macroeconomic stability of Iraq was discussed. The Iraqi economy was severely affected in 2009 by the decline in oil prices. Macroeconomic stability was maintained in 2010, despite a highly uncertain domestic and external environment. Policy discussions...

The Kyrgyz government faces challenges of political turmoil and inter-ethnic flare-ups. The fiscal policy response to the economic crisis is appropriate, but there are limits to the expansion. The balances between revenue and expenditure choices as well as a shortfall in donor budget financing...

This paper is an account of Seychelles’ monetary efforts to establish its position in 2012. After the recovery in 2008, the country had solid growth through 2011. The important threat was external risks, which could lower tourist inflows, and piracy. Alternatively, the authorities were...