Statistical data and issues are discussed in this paper. Mauritania reached the completion point under the enhanced Initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries. In July 2004, a new economic team took actions to tighten fiscal and monetary policies. The authorities intend to adopt sound...

A sound fiscal stance has been the bedrock for Tanzania’s macroeconomic stability in recent years. Impressive increases in government revenues, together with substantial donor support, allowed for strong increases in government spending, without excessive recourse to domestic borrowing...

Peru’s macroeconomic policies continue to be strong under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). Executive Directors appreciated the implementation of policies to entrench macroeconomic stability, lower poverty, and lessen vulnerabilities, and also emphasized the need to maintain a prudent...

The Joint Staff Note (JNS) reports that Welfare Improvement Strategy (WIS) showed a commendable effort under the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) in Uzbekistan. They stressed that implementation capacity within the government would have to be strengthened. Executive Directors agreed that...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note discusses the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP) for Liberia. The I-PRSP traces the roots of conflict to Liberia’s exclusion and marginalization of much of the population, and lays out a broad vision and program for July 2006–June 2008....

The Swazi economy has continued to register sluggish economic activity even as rising Southern African Customs Union revenue contributed to a large fiscal surplus and accumulation of international reserves. The unchecked growth of insufficiently regulated saving and credit cooperatives poses...

The 2011 Article IV Consultation report concludes that Belize has weathered the financial crisis relatively well when compared with Caribbean Community peers. Executive Directors have commended the authorities for their macroeconomic management, which enabled Belize to weather the financial...

This paper discusses key findings of the 2004 Status Report on Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Niger. The report assesses economic and financial performance, as well as progress in implementing sectoral policies and strategies in 2004. Analysis of the economic and financial situation...

New media technologies and their globalizing power have transformed development practices. Through a case study, I examine how local cultural practices such as traditional art forms – primarily non-monetary activities – in developing regions are brought into contemporary...

This article reviews the current state of the debate around the concept of ‘urban bias’. It first reviews Michael Lipton’s original formulation of an Urban Bias Thesis (UBT), and the initial debates that took shape in regard to his work and the work of Elliott Berg and Robert...