The government of Cameroon adopted its first Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) to define the overall framework for its development policies. To adjust the overall objectives and address the weaknesses of the first PRSP, a new comprehensive framework, Cameroon's Strategy for Growth and...

This 2014 Article IV Consultation highlights that the Dutch economy continues to improve, supported by exports, rising housing prices, and improving sentiment. Exports are rising on expanding global trade, but consumption remains sluggish as indebted households continue to save. The external...

KEY ISSUES Context: Austria did not experience a severe boom-bust cycle and came through the crisis relatively well. The main impact was on the banking sector and public debt. With cyclical slack low and the recovery taking hold, this is the time to resolve crisis legacies and address...

This 2014 Article IV Consultation highlights that since 2010, the Lesotho’s economy has performed well with the growth of real GDP averaging over 5 percent a year and inflation held to single-digit levels. International reserves have recovered to close to 5 months of import coverage after...

This paper discusses Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Fifth Review Under the Stand-by Arrangement and Requests for Waivers of Applicability and Extension and Augmentation of the Arrangement. Policy implementation remains strong despite a challenging environment. All end-September 2013 performance...

Program implementation and economic fundamentals continue to be strong, but the external position weakened in mid-2014. Projected growth for 2014 has been revised down to 2.8 percent from 3.7 percent, due to weaker demand for Seychelles’ two main exports—tourism and canned tuna. At...

The expenditure multipliers in Kuwait are likely to be high, and mostly operate through capital expenditure. Kuwait’s large state-controlled endowment of natural resource, pegged exchange rate regimes, and relatively open financial accounts are the mainstay. The nominal effective exchange...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Growth remains robust, despite slight downward revisions. Growth estimates for 2013 and projections for 2014 were revised to 6.6 and 6.8 percent, respectively, reflecting weather and weaker terms of trade. Inflation is around zero, partly due to subsidized food prices. The...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes the spillover effects of key external shocks on Paraguay. It presents an overview of Paraguay’s major economic and financial linkages with the rest world, and quantifies the spillover effects of key external factors on the Paraguayan economy, using a...

This 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights that good macroeconomic performance and active social policies since the mid-2000s have helped Bolivia to nearly triple income per capita and reduce poverty. The economy benefited from high international commodity prices and rising volumes of natural...