You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
This paper examines stabilization policies in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos since the late 1980s. Compared with other transition economies, the Indochinese countries avoided an output collapse and moved quickly to strong GDP growth and low inflation. Each adopted a similar mix of policies centered on flexible exchange rates, high real interest rates, fiscal adjustment through expenditure cuts, and the imposition of hard budget constraints on public enterprises. In none of the countries was an exchange rate anchor considered feasible, and money-based stabilization proved effective, despite evident instability in the demand for money.
The paper explores the pattern of transition of the Vietnamese economy, the policies that were applied, and the reasons for the country's success. In particular, it focuses on output performance; state-owned enterprises; foreign direct investment; determinants of inflation; dollarization and problems of economic management; international integration and exchange rate policy; growth and diversification of trade, trade reform, exchange reform, and exchange rate policy.
Transparency in government operations is widely regarded as an important precondition for macroeconomic fiscal sustainability, good governance, and overall fiscal rectitude. Notably, the Interim Committee, at its April and September 1996 meetings, stressed the need for greater fiscal transparency. Prompted by these concerns, this paper represents a first attempt to address many of the aspects of transparency in government operations. It provides an overview of major issues in fiscal transparency and examines the IMF's role in promoting transparency in government operations.
Poland was the first centrally planned economy in Eastern Europe to leave the Soviet bloc and introduce systemic reforms in all sectors of the economy. The transformation of the National Bank from a monobank to an institution of a market-based system and the Polish financial sector into a market-oriented banking system was an important element of the reform process and received strong support from the IMF and the international community. This paper describes the steps taken by the National Bank, analyzes the monetary situation, and makes recommendations.
This paper discusses a study analyzing aging populations and public pension schemes. An aging society is characterized by a growing proportion of the retired to the active working population. The study examines the pension-related aging problem primarily from a fiscal perspective. It analyzes how prospective demographic developments that affect the proportion of the pensionable elderly affect pension outlays. It confirms that very serious fiscal stresses are in prospect for most industrial economies. Addressing such problems satisfactorily will require major actions early, given the long lead times involved in reforming a pension fund's financial position.
New Zealand's reforms of economic policy and public sector management systems have attracted international attention. Beginning in 1984, the country adopted a comprehensive and vigorous program of macroeconomic adjustment that involved redefining the state's role in the economy and social policy. This paper provides an overview of the central frameworks of government management in New Zealand, with particular emphasis on financial management.
This study takes stock of progress made so far in the financial sectors of sub-saharan African countries. It recommends further reforms and specific measures in the areas of supervision, development of monetary operations and financial markets, external sector liberalization, central bank autonomy and accountability, payments system, and central bank accounting and auditing.
This paper examines the progress made in four Asian transition economies—China, Lao P.D.R., Vietnam, and Mongolia—to market-based systems. Overall, these economies appear to have had a more favorable experience with inflation stabilization and output growth than that of transition economies elsewhere. While initial conditions played an important role in determining the strategy and speed of the transition, growth performance benefited from continued macroeconomic stability and reforms in a key sector (such as agriculture); this confirms the need for sustained and rapid structural reforms and highlights the constraints for sustainable growth posed by weak financial and enterprise sectors.
This 2002 Article IV Consultation highlights that Nepal’s real GDP growth is estimated to have slowed to 0.8 percent in 2001/02 from 5 percent in the previous year (fiscal year ending mid-July). Agricultural growth slowed to less than 2 percent from more than 4 percent, reflecting irregular rainfall. The output of nonagricultural sectors was largely stagnant, with manufacturing and tourism sectors particularly hit hard by the domestic security situation as well as the global slowdown. Inflation was subdued at about 3 percent, reflecting weak domestic demand and stable Indian prices for most of the year.