The St. Lucian economy is confronted with significant challenges from consecutive external shocks. While still recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to an output collapse in 2020 and 2021 mainly due to a halt in tourism, the war in Ukraine is adding inflation and balance...

This 2002 Article IV Consultation highlights that after growing by an average 3 percent a year in 1998–99, output for St. Lucia stagnated in 2000, and fell by an estimated 51⁄4 percent in 2001. This reflected a severe drought in 2001, as well as lower tourism activity owing to the global...

This Selected Issues paper on St. Lucia examines challenges facing the Windward Islands banana industry with a focus on the socioeconomic impact and production recovery strategies. The paper focuses on St. Luciathe—region’s largest producer and most populous island. It reviews recent...

This paper discusses key findings of the Sixth Review under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility for Benin. Benin’s macroeconomic outlook is weaker for 2009–10, reflecting the impact of the crisis. The implementation of structural reforms needs to be accelerated to enhance the...

St. Lucia faces structural challenges that need to be addressed to raise growth durably and reduce poverty. Implementation of planned tax reforms is important to achieve fiscal sustainability. The government’s plans to accelerate tourism-related public investment carry significant risks....

St. Lucia showed strong growth performance owing to its strong investment in tourism infrastructure. Executive Directors commended the prudent public debt management and sound banking system. They underscored the need for fiscal consolidation and steps to promote domestic investment and labor...

This paper reviews economic developments in St. Lucia during 1990–95. During 1991–92, economic growth slowed to an average of 5 percent (from 9 percent achieved in the late 1980s) as banana production stagnated, and in spite of strong growth of construction and tourism. In 1993–94, real...

"Includes papers from the Third Conference of Caribbean Economists held in Santo Domingo in 1991. The papers cover analyses of the economic experience of Guyana, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba during the decade of the 1980s. There is also discussion of economic...