International Monetary Fund imprint: 1365 books

Despite its vast oil wealth, central Africa still struggles to sustain strong, inclusive economic growth or to generate sufficient employment opportunities, particularly for its fast-growing youth population. Drawing on new research, Oil Wealth in Central Africa lays out the macroeconomic and growth...

Edited by Mario I. Blejer and Ke-young Chu, this book investigates linkages among components of the public sector, as well as between macro and micro aspects of fiscal policy, in developing countries. It presents 13 papers prepared by economists of the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department.

This book analyzes the importance for Asia of rebalancing its growth model toward domestic demand, and what such a rebalancing would entail. The nature of the challenge differs across regional economies, as some, like China, need to raise private consumption while others, like the ASEAN economies, need...

Developments in the countries of the CFA franc zone in the aftermath of the January 1994 devaluation of the CFA franc are reviewed in this paper. Following a summary of the new adjusment strategy, the papers describes the progress made and the difficulties encountered during 1994 and early 1995 in implementing the programs supported by use of IMF resources.

This paper describes recently established deposit insurance systems, identifying emerging trends. In line with previous IMF work on the subject, it argues against the development of "best practices" applicable to all systems. Rather, it stresses the importance of incorporating each country’s individual...

This paper presents the primary institutions and economic policies that have led to Chile’s remarkable record of stability and growth over the past twenty years. The core of this policy stance is the combination of fiscal discipline and an open trade policy regime, together with carefully sequenced...

In 2001- 02, Argentina experienced one of the worst economic crises in its history. A default on government debt, which occurred against the backdrop of a prolonged recession, sent the Argentine currency and economy into a tailspin. Although the economy has since recovered from the worst, the crisis...

This Occasional Paper discusses the policies behind the favorable economic performance of the Philippines during the 1990s, when it emerged from a long period of slow growth and economic imbalances and managed to escape the "Asian crisis" relatively unscathed. The Philippines' recent experience suggests...

This paper explores the reasons behind the recent transformation and upturn of the Mexican economy. the changes are the result of the authorities' determination to stick with a difficult reform program since the early 1980s, supported by multilateral financial institutions, creditor countries, and commercial banks.

Central America has received growing attention as a region that is integrating successfully into the global economy. This paper examines—among other things—the macroeconomic and fiscal implications of the Free Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA-DR), noting that the agreement will provide...

Opportunities for growth and investment in Central America could well improve in the coming years, as the region’s ties with the world economy grow closer. This integration, however, also presents important challenges for economic policy to ensure that growth can be sustained and can benefit the poor....

This paper analyzes particular areas of tax policy that have concerned the Colombian authorities during the 1990s, while comprising a comprehensive approach to tax reform over time. It is intended to allow the reader to view in technical detail the type of analysis conducted in a representative tax reform study carried out by the IMF.