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International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
Liberia continues to face substantial long-term development challenges. Resource constraints and substantial gaps in infrastructure and human capital have hindered Liberia’s growth prospects and the authorities’ efforts to improve living standards. Addressing these challenges will require sustained efforts to mobilize additional revenues, enhance financial stability, improve public financial management, and seek external grants and highly concessional loans for key capital investment projects. Improvements in these areas would help create fiscal space to scale up investment in infrastructure and human capital, thus unleashing the country’s growth potential.
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This paper presents Ukraine’s Sixth Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), Requests for Modification of a Performance Criterion, and Financing Assurances Review. Ukraine’s economy remains resilient, and performance remains strong under the EFF despite challenging conditions. The authorities met all end-September quantitative performance criteria and structural benchmarks. Economic growth in 2024 has been upgraded given better than expected resilience to the energy shocks. However, a slowdown is expected in 2025 due to an increasingly tight labor market, the impact of Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, and continued uncertainty about the war. The financial sector remains stable, but vigilance is needed given heightened risks. Progress on strengthening bank resolution and risk-based supervision, stress-testing frameworks and contingency planning should be sustained. Sustained reform momentum, progress at domestic revenue mobilization, and timely disbursement of external support are necessary to safeguard macroeconomic stability, restore fiscal and debt sustainability, and improve governance.
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This paper presents Serbia’s Fourth Review under the Stand-By Arrangement, Cancellation of the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), and Request for a 36 Month Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI). Under the SBA, Serbia pursued ambitious reforms, helping achieve strong macroeconomic outcomes and a first ever investment grade rating in October 2024. By building on these accomplishments, the PCI will support the authorities in their efforts to demonstrate continued commitment to sound policies, sustain reform momentum, and anchor fiscal discipline. Under the PCI, public debt is slated to decline to 45 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025 and lower thereafter, balancing continued fiscal prudence with spending needs, including for public investment. Further progress with fiscal-structural and state-owned enterprise reforms will be crucial complements to fiscal discipline. A restrictive monetary policy stance will help guard against upside inflation risks. The stabilized exchange rate has served Serbia well, but greater flexibility could be considered over time.
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This paper presents Ukraine’s Fifth Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), Requests for Waivers of Applicability of Performance Criteria, Modification of Performance Criterion, Rephasing of Access, and Financing Assurances Review. Ukraine’s economy remains resilient, and performance remains strong under the EFF despite challenging conditions. The authorities met all end-June quantitative performance criteria and completed four structural benchmarks. Looking ahead, the recovery is expected to slow amid headwinds from the impact of the attacks on energy infrastructure and the continuing war, while risks to the outlook remain exceptionally high. Preparedness is necessary to enable appropriate policy action should risks materialize. Continued exchange rate flexibility under the managed exchange rate regime will help strengthen the resilience of the economy to external shocks. Sustained reform momentum, domestic revenue mobilization, and timely disbursement of external support are necessary to safeguard macroeconomic stability, restore fiscal and debt sustainability, and enhance institutional reforms.
Enrique Flores
,
Pranav Gupta
,
Yinqiu Lu
,
Paulo A Medas
,
Dinar Prihardini
,
Hoda Selim
,
Weining Xin
, and
Masafumi Yabara
This paper seeks to guide the reform of fiscal frameworks in Asia-Pacific in the context of calls for a more active fiscal policy in a shock-prone world. It highlights that the cost of fiscal support is large and that fiscal frameworks, including fiscal rules, are being put to the test given the sharp increase in debt, high interest and weaker growth prospects. The stress is only compounded by long-term challenges like aging populations, climate change and the need to deliver on the sustainable development goals. In this context, it is timely to review the effectiveness of fiscal policy in Asia-Pacific and seek for ways to strengthen fiscal frameworks. After the global financial crisis, fiscal policy in Asia-Pacific became more countercylical and stronger than in other regions—especially in advanced economies. The paper shows that the degree of countercyclicality has been asymetric, with larger responses during periods of weak growth, and in particular in response to large shocks—the global financial crisis and the pandemic. It highlights that responses to the pandemic were large and used a wide range of tools, and how fiscal and monetary policy complemented each as they responded to large shocks. It looks into the deterioration of debt dynamics in Asia-Pacific, as public debt has been rising persistently across most countries driven by declining growth and rising deficits—particualrly after the global financial crisis for advanced economies and after the pandemic for emerging market and low income countries. The paper reviews fiscal frameworks across Asia-Pacific, including the use of fiscal rules, medium-term fiscal frameworks, and fiscal councils. It describes the characteristics of fiscal rules, which usually focus on debt and budget balances and are set by law but tend to lack well-specified enforcement mechanism or escape clauses. It highlights that compliance with the rules has worsened following the pandemic as—in contrast with the outturns before the pandemic--Asia-Pacific countries tend to show larger deviations relative to other regions. It also shows that despite the increase adoption of medium-term fiscal frameworks in Asia-Pacific forward guidance has been hampered by the lack of binding targets and ex-post analysis. Moreover, they do not seem to have resulted in better macro-fiscal forecast in part due to weak capacity and enforcement, lack of integration with the annual budget, and exposure to shocks—with risk analysis mostly limited to qualitative discussions. Proposed reforms seek to implement a comprehensive, risk-based approach to public finances. They focus on strengthening the medium-term orientation of fiscal policy through credible medium-term fiscal plans, fiscal rules linked to the medium-term strategy and the annual budgets, and a stronger reliance on fiscal councils. They also emphasize the need for a broader view of the public sector as fiscal policy is being conducted through multiple channels, which requires assessing and managing vulnerabilities and a significant improvement in fiscal statistics. They also address aging and climate change by focusing on assessing large intergenerational trade-offs, reporting on long-term debt dynamics, and on green medium-term fiscal frameworks that incorporate the effects of climate change and climate policies.
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This report provides an overview of the assistance provided by the IMF to the Central Bank of the Seychelles in reviewing and updating its strategic plan, in line with international best practices for central banks.
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This paper highlights Republic of Moldova’s Fifth Reviews under the Extended Credit Facility and Extended Fund Facility Arrangements, First Review under the Arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility, and Request for Modification of a Performance Criterion. The recovery of the economy from the multiple shocks has been slower than anticipated, with growth lower than expected in 2023 and more subdued in 2024. Inflation has remained within the National Bank of Moldova’s target band since last October. The authorities’ continued focus on contingency planning, while maintaining agile policies, has helped contain the impact of recent shocks. Going forward, ongoing efforts to undertake growth-friendly reforms, strengthen energy security, and promote climate resilient investments, while pursuing the path toward EU accession, will support Moldova’s development objectives. Continued progress on anti-corruption reforms is needed to further increase trust in Moldova’s institutions and foster socio-economic development. Adoption of the law establishing a new Anti-Corruption Court, expected this summer, would be a key welcomed development, and the authorities should operationalize the Court quickly and effectively.
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This paper discusses Ukraine’s Fourth Review of the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), Request for Modification of a Performance Criterion, and Financing Assurances Review. Ukraine’s performance remains strong under the EFF despite challenging conditions. All quantitative performance criteria for end-March were met, and all structural benchmarks through end-June were implemented on time or with a short delay. The Ukrainian economy continues to be resilient although the outlook remains subject to exceptionally high uncertainty. Sustained reform momentum and timely disbursement of external support are necessary to safeguard macroeconomic stability, restore fiscal and debt sustainability, and enhance institutional reforms to lay the path to European Union accession. Timely and predictable external disbursements together with strong domestic resource mobilization and careful liquidity management are necessary for Ukraine to meet its financing needs. Fiscal policies for the remainder of 2024, together with preparation for the 2025 budget, should be underpinned by steadfast revenue mobilization efforts aligned with the National Revenue Strategy.
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
L’économie algérienne se relevait juste de la pandémie lorsqu’elle a été frappée par les répercussions de la guerre en Ukraine et une succession de sécheresses. Ces chocs ont alimenté l’inflation, même si la hausse des cours mondiaux des hydrocarbures a aussi augmenté les recettes publiques et les exportations. L’Algérie a enregistré une croissance vigoureuse en 2023 et sa position extérieure est restée solide, avec un excédent des transactions extérieures pour la deuxième année consécutive et une nouvelle accumulation de réserves de change. L’inflation demeure élevée et pourrait s’enraciner. Les lois de finances 2023–24 visent à soutenir le pouvoir d’achat des ménages, mais risquent d’épuiser les marges de manœuvre qui protègent le budget contre la volatilité des recettes. Les réformes structurelles progressent, avec la promulgation de la loi monétaire et bancaire et la mise en œuvre de la budgétisation par programmes et du code de l’investissement de 2022. Des investissements dans la transition numérique permettraient de renforcer la gouvernance et la transparence, de réduire les risques de corruption et d’améliorer la prestation des services.
International Monetary Fund
This evaluation assesses the decision-making processes that guided the evolution of the application of the Fund´s mandate, the criteria and principles used to operationalize engagement in newer policy areas, and the coherence of the Fund’s framework for engaging with partners. It finds that the systematic widening of the Fund’s areas of work is posing adaptation challenges, necessitating trade-offs, and overburdening staff within a context of budgetary and expertise constraints. The evaluation offers a framework for approaching these challenges that is centered on a trilemma that exposes the tension between the steady expansion of the Fund’s scope of work, its limited resources, and the need to maintain the high quality and value-added of its policy advice. It identifies several problems within this framework, including the ad hoc decision-making process for engaging in newer policy areas, which lacks a longer-term strategic anchor. Furthermore, decisions on policies, resources, and risks were taken in a piecemeal manner, without due consideration for crossed effects. It also identifies several open questions regarding the depth and frequency of the Fund’s engagement in newer policy areas and the lack of an institutional approach to Fund partnerships. The evaluation proposes classifying newer policy areas across a spectrum of recommended engagement, ranging from signaling their macrocriticality while leaving deeper assessments to other institutions, to in-depth high-frequency engagement. It also offers four main recommendations: (i) developing an inclusive Fund-wide institutional strategy for engagement in newer policy areas that better links decisions related to scope, resources, and risks; (ii) producing budget data that enables the tracking of Fund activities and operations by policy area; (iii) updating the 2022 Guidance Note for Surveillance to enhance the clarity of principles for engagement; and (iv) adopting a Board-approved high-level Statement of Principles for engagement with partners.