This Selected Issues paper analyzes the recent French inflation behavior. The paper demonstrates that the recent change in French headline inflation behavior resulted from a few idiosyncratic, i.e., transient, factors. The paper describes the model setup and calibration of some crucial economic...

The staff report for the Second Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility highlights economic developments and fiscal policy. The political transition process has advanced significantly in 2005, and further progress has been made in securing peace....

This report on the Observance of Standards and Codes data module provides an assessment of Zambia’s macroeconomic statistics against the recommendations of the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS), complemented by an assessment of data quality based on the IMF’s Data Quality Assessment...

The staff report for the combined consultation and 2005 Article IV Consultation on Gabon highlights economic developments and policies. Preparing Gabon for the post-oil era requires strengthening the efficiency of the public sector and providing a framework for private sector development to...

This paper assesses Afghanistan’s Third Review Under the Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) and Request for an Extension. Performance during the third quarter of the SMP was strong, particularly considering that the October 2004 presidential elections and the ensuing formation of a new government...

This Selected Issues paper on Angola reports that oil production in Angola accounts for about half of GDP and about 75 percent of government revenue. The projections for the government’s fiscal position in the medium term will be crucially dependent on both the value of oil production and the...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that impressive growth continued unabated in Lithuania in 2004. GDP expanded by an estimated 63⁄4 percent in 2004, driven by vigorous private consumption and investment growth. The unemployment rate declined to 101⁄2 percent of the labor force but...

This Selected Issues paper reviews the benefits and costs of reserves for Chile, with emphasis on standard methodologies for assessing reserve adequacy. It reports an empirical methodology that analyzes simultaneously key explanatory variables behind a country’s level of reserves. The paper...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that over the past two decades, Chile has adhered to a sound and consistent policy framework. During 2000–03, the actual overall balance of the central government registered a deficit of just below 1 percent of GDP. Since the beginning of 2004,...

The staff report for the Third Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement on Jordan highlights the economic developments and policies. Additional grants and higher tax revenue will offset the loss of the oil surplus and the increase in petroleum subsidies. The authorities intend to limit total...