The attached Joint Staff Assessment (JSA) of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) on Djibouti reviews poverty reduction objectives and strategies. The authorities invested considerable effort in building national ownership of the PRSP by strengthening the institutional framework. The...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

This 2003 Article IV Consultation highlights that the South African economy performed well in 2002, notwithstanding difficult global economic conditions. Supported by sound macroeconomic management and a highly competitive exchange rate, real GDP growth rose to 3.0 percent in 2002 from 2.8...

Nepal showed satisfactory macroeconomic performance despite difficult political circumstances. Executive Directors welcomed the comprehensive program of structural reforms that aimed at poverty reduction, and stressed the need for prudent macroeconomic policies. They appreciated the authorities'...

This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix explores four policy issues—fiscal policy, public sector pension reforms, monetary management, and labor market performance—which are crucial for understanding the recent performance of the economy of the Netherlands Antilles and...

This Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes data module provides a review of Botswana’s data dissemination practices against the IMF’s General Data Dissemination System, complemented by an in-depth assessment of the quality of the national accounts, consumer price index,...

The analysis in this paper suggests that the large fiscal deficits that Pakistan has experienced over most of the period since 1970 led to some crowding out of private investment, resulting in slower output growth than would otherwise have been observed. Past fiscal deficits have also resulted...

Loan review is a process routinely used by banks to assess the current value of loan portfolios. Provisioning is a technique to translate loan review results into the balance sheet. It allows for ongoing valuation of loans. Both are core elements of credit risk management and important to...

The paper examines empirically the question of whether more unequal societies spend more on income redistribution than their more egalitarian counterparts. Theoretical arguments on this issue are inconclusive. The political economy literature suggests that redistributive spending is higher in...