The IMF Working Papers series is designed to make IMF staff research available to a wide audience. Almost 300 Working Papers are released each year, covering a wide range of theoretical and analytical topics, including balance of payments, monetary and fiscal issues, global liquidity, and...

This paper examines the evolution of the Finnish financial system from a restrictive system based on credit limitations and rationing to an open system which relies on indirect, market-oriented policies. The main beneficiaries are found to be the banks and those that previously had restricted...

This paper looks at the factors that have to be considered when designing an aggregate expenditure ceiling. It is argued that expenditure ceilings are effective in promoting fiscal discipline and sustainability, but that a number of trade-offs have to be made when setting up a fiscal framework...

The output gap-which measures the deviation of actual output from its potential-is frequently used as an indicator of slack in an economy. This paper estimates the Finnish output gap using various empirical methods. It evaluates these methods against economic history and each other by a...

This study examines the banking crises in Finland, Norway and Sweden, which took place in the early 1990s, and draws some policy conclusions from their experiences. One key conclusion is that factors in addition to business cycle effects explain the Nordic countries' financial problems. Although...

This Selected Issues paper on Finland discusses that the country is struggling to recover from the Great Recession, indicating that deeper, structural issues may be holding back growth. Estimates of potential output for Finland are an important part of the toolkit for policymakers-but they come...

This 2014 Article IV Consultation highlights that Finland’s strong economic record has stalled. The economy has been in recession for three of the last five years, and unemployment is now more than 8 percent, with more people without work for longer. The shortfall in growth, coming at a time...

This technical note discusses Systemic Risk Analysis and Stress Testing for the Finland Financial Sector Assessment Program. The assessment is based on stress tests, which simulate the health of Finnish banks under a severe yet plausible adverse scenario. The scenario includes global and...

This technical note focuses on Crisis Management and Resolution for the Finland Financial Sector Assessment Program. These recent developments reinforce the need for full operational readiness in the Finnish authorities' crisis management arrangements. The authorities have made progress in...

This technical note highlights Macroprudential Policy Framework and Tools for the Finland Financial Sector Assessment Program. The institutional framework for macroprudential policy in Finland, formalized in 2014, is mostly in line with the IMF guidance for effective macroprudential...