This 2014 Article IV Consultation highlights that South Africa’s growth has slowed in recent years, specifically relative to other emerging markets. Although weak trading partners’ growth contributed to the slowdown, increasingly binding structural constraints, such as protracted...

This paper reviews Angola’s Second Post-Program Monitoring for different economic developments and policies. The IMF report highlights that Angola has returned to a path of solid economic growth, with single-digit inflation, a strong international reserves position, and a stable exchange...

Fiscal sustainability is one of several policy objectives that Afghanistan is expected to achieve in the context of the Poverty Reduction Growth Facility-supported program. There is a need to develop a comprehensive financial sector strategy aimed at deepening financial intermediation and...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note discusses the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. The PRSP-II is the successor to the government’s previous development strategy, the PRSP-I, and furthers the country’s commitment to promoting...

This paper reviews the first annual progress report (APR) on implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) in the Republic of Congo. The paper discusses that a number of stages in PRS implementation have already been completed. The PRS is being implemented in an international economic...

This Selected Issues paper for Peru shows that during the years of strong growth and high commodity prices, the Peruvian authorities have conducted a prudent fiscal policy, maintaining a broadly neutral fiscal stance. During 2004–08, while the revenue-to-GDP ratio increased 3.7 percentage...

This 2013 Article IV Consultation highlights Italy’s assesses measures undertaken to revive economic growth. Italy is vulnerable to a renewal of euro area tension and risks from domestic policy slippages, stalling of structural reforms, and banking distress that could undermine...

Following the approval of a new constitution in 2010, the authorities have embarked on important reforms including fiscal devolution, VAT reform, and the overhaul of the expenditure management framework. Supported by a three-year ECF, which expired in December 2013 with all six reviews...