This paper discusses Nicaragua’s 2005 Article IV Consultation and Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Reviews Under the Three Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). The economy continued to perform well, notwithstanding pressure from higher oil prices. Strong...

Despite abundant natural resources and arable land, Guinea-Bissau is ranked at the lowest end of the UN human development index, mainly because of the civil war of 1998–99 and the ensuing prolonged political instability and serious governance deficiencies thereafter. Since mid-2004,...

This 2006 Article IV Consultation highlights that economic performance of Benin has been relatively subdued since 2003 after a decade of high growth. Slow economic growth has reflected limited progress in addressing core economic vulnerabilities and delays in implementing crucial...

Fiscal problems have long been considered a central feature of financial--that is, currency, debt, and banking--crises. This paper addresses four questions: What are the fiscal causes of crises? Which fiscal vulnerability indicators help to predict crises? Can fiscal variables explain the...

The staff report for the Second Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility on Dominica focuses on macroeconomic framework and fiscal policy. The program has been based on the expectation that Dominica will achieve a collaborative debt restructuring...

In this study, the authorities outlined a two-stage strategy and explained the need for requesting the cancellation of Stand-By Arrangement and the approval of a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF). The objective of the three-year program is to review growth...

Overly expansionary macroeconomic policies contributed to a widening of current account deficits, an unsustainable buildup of public debt, and the erosion of international reserves. The Belize government has already made commendable strides in correcting macroeconomic imbalances, based on...

This paper discusses Sierra Leone’s Request for a Three-Year Arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Sierra Leone has made considerable progress during the last PRGF-supported program toward macroeconomic stability. Macroeconomic performance was generally...

The continued decline in oil production and the absence of sustained adjustment policies have contributed to Gabon's uneven economic performance over the past three years. To strengthen further the track record before discussing a possible IMF-supported program, a staff-monitored program has...

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, ranking 146 out of 177 on the United Nations Human Development Index. The country has one of the lowest tax revenue-to-GDP ratios in the world (10.1 percent in 2005). To address these challenges, the authorities are requesting a...