The economy entered the crisis from a position of considerable strength because of past prudent macroeconomic management. Macroeconomic policies are being appropriately redirected away from short-term demand management toward medium-term considerations. Fiscal policy was strongly countercyclical...

This paper is an account of the economic conditions of the Solomon Islands. The macroeconomic situation has shown a considerable expansion in recent years with the external buffers intact. Although the Islands have shown good growth, the IMF staff expects only a moderate performance in 2013 and...

This paper focuses on Senegal’s Third and Fourth Reviews Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) and Request for Waiver of Performance Criteria. Program implementation in 2005 was uneven. Most performance criteria (PCs) for the third and...

The staff report for the 2007 Article IV Consultation on Guinea-Bissau highlights post-conflict challenges and recent economic developments. The conflict and ensuing political instability have taken a toll on growth and economic policies, and most macroeconomic indicators have worsened in the...

The purpose of the study is to examine Peru’s effective interest spread through accounting decompositions, financial ratio analysis, and spread regressions. The government’s financial restructuring programs accelerated the banking sector consolidation process. Robustness of...

Namibia’s government has launched a major three-year fiscal initiative in 2011 aimed at increasing growth and employment. Public debt is rising rapidly, from a low base. The authorities intend to unwind the fiscal expansion in 2014. Fiscal consolidation would help keep public debt to a...

The First Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility of the Republic of Moldova analyzes macroeconomic and structural policy measures to support the adjustment and promote growth. Moldova is facing serious external shocks that will have long-lasting...

Major political developments have taken place in Nepal since the Executive Board concluded the Article IV Consultation in January 2006. The Koirala government is keen on early resumption of the IMF-supported program to help maintain macroeconomic stability. The international community has...

The Republic of Poland’s 2010 Article IV Consultation shows that Poland is the only European Union country to have escaped a recession in 2009 owing to its limited reliance on exports and well-capitalized and profitable banking system. Like its regional peers, it experienced spillovers...

This Selected Issues paper provides updates on Greece’s financial stability framework. The paper highlights that the Bank of Greece (BoG) has strengthened the financial stability framework over recent years. In addition to the liquidity provided by the euro system through its regular...