Colombia's economic performance deteriorated markedly in the last half of 1998 and during 1999 under the combined influence of external shocks and a weakening of confidence. In an effort to reverse the deterioration, the authorities developed a multiyear stabilization and reform program based on...

Output and employment growth have been sluggish for the past several years, reflecting a difficult restructuring process associated with the retrenchment of the banana industry and the low productivity of public investment. The public finances have deteriorated in recent years as capital...

The Republic of Congo has seen dramatic improvement in its debt situation since 2010, following debt relief through the IMF and World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Countries/Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative. Large oil revenues have allowed the country to boost spending and increase foreign...

The changing political landscape in the Arab world has created opportunities for economic transformation by tackling long-standing economic issues. Nevertheless, three years after the onset of political transition, implementing necessary economic policies has proven to be challenging. This paper...

This 1999 Article IV Consultation highlights that progress on structural reforms in Haiti in FY1998/99 has been mixed. In the financial sector, the central bank’s supervisory capacity and the regulatory framework continued to be strengthened. Performance under the FY1997/98 Staff-Monitored...

This chapter explores the key relationships between participatory democracy and successful economic development and reviews the early steps of participatory decision making in Ghana. More generally, it sets the stage for a discussion of Ghana's main achievements and failures since 1992 in...

Economic developments in Hungary during 1995-97 illustrate one of the most remarkable cases of macroeconomic adjustment in Europe over the last decade. Several momentous steps in the integration of the Hungarian economy with the rest of Europe and the industrial countries community took place....

China's economic performance hs been remarkable since the the reform process began 15 years ago. Notwithstanding the achievements that have been made, a number of serious problems remain. This papers discusses the current reform program and the effors being made to overcome the structural...

This paper charts Tunisia's transformation from an inward-looking, heavily regulated economy into a predominantly market- and export-oriented one. The paper highlights some of the major challenges facing the country and draws lessons from Tunisia's experience that can be useful for other countries

This paper explores the experience of six countries (Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Mexico, Spain and Thailand) with capital inflows. It illustrates that although capital inflows are usually beneficial, too great an inflow can become a problem and make it difficult for authorities to choose the...