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...

Improved terms of trade and sound macroeconomic policies have helped strengthen Kuwait's financial situation. The government should move forcefully to implement its structural reform program. Monetary policy is rightly focused on maintaining the credibility of the pegged exchange rate...

The paper describes recent macroeconomic and financial developments and highlights a number of important medium- and longer-term policy issues. Empirical estimates of potential output growth for the Kyrgyz economy based on a number of different methodologies are presented. Competitiveness and...

The study describes key features of the Austrian financial system, analyzes current trends in Austrian banking, and discusses appropriate regulatory responses to the changing financial environment. In this paper, the following statistical data are presented in detail: national income and its...

Cyprus is broadly compliant with International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO) core principles in a number of areas including enforcement, cooperation with domestic and foreign regulators, principles for issuers, principles for market intermediaries, and market regulation. The...

The note views the problem of poverty in The Gambia. The largest group of cash crop producers have the highest poverty rate in the country. The design of public policies in the area of education and health has a large impact on the living standards of the poor. Therefore, these social policies...

In Swaziland, government tax revenue has remained broadly stable over the past decade at a level slightly below 30 percent of gross domestic product. The sources of tax revenue are heavily concentrated, with customs receipts based on a revenue-sharing arrangement under the Southern African...

This Selected Issues paper focuses on the adoption of new technology and globalization in the United States of America, and assesses the change in the productivity growth and revised estimates, the developments in the labor market, equity prices, and the technology boom. The paper analyzes how...

Economic activity and social conditions have been adversely affected by the intensification of the civil war. The goal is to restore domestic and external equilibrium and create the conditions for sustained growth, especially by boosting the growth of the non-oil sectors, lowering inflation to...

Cote d'lvoire adopted an IMF-supported program in early 1994 following the devaluation of the CFA franc. Under this program, progress was made in reducing financial imbalances, controlling inflation, liberalizing the economy, and establishing a sound basis for sustainable economic growth...