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International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This Selected Issues paper on the Republic of Kazakhstan focuses on revisiting trend output growth. Trend growth in Kazakhstan has decreased to 2–3 percent due to declining contributions of labor and total factor productivity (TFP). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may have reduced the long-term trend GDP level, but it is unlikely to have affected trend GDP growth. Structural reforms to reduce the state footprint in the economy, strengthen public and corporate governance, diversify the economy and exports away from extractive sectors, and promote technological change, are critical to increase future trend GDP growth. The monthly trend-cycle decomposition developed in this Selected Issues Paper may help expand the information set available to policymakers when taking base rate policy decisions. COVID-19 has depressed both trend level and growth in the short term through headwinds to labor, capital, and TFP. It could also affect long-term trend growth through the destruction of human capital, but it is too early to assess the statistical significance of this effect. In any case, structural reforms will be needed to increase trend growth. Priorities include reducing the state footprint, strengthening public and corporate governance, and economic and trade diversification. Increasing the share of investment, including foreign direct investment in nonextractive industries should promote R&D, innovation, and higher TFP.
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
The economy is recovering after a major, pandemic-induced economic downturn. The authorities have deployed a comprehensive set of policy responses that have helped to mitigate the socioeconomic impact and maintain financial stability. The economic recovery slowed in the first half of 2021 due to a second wave of COVID-19 infections. Vaccination has started and is poised to accelerate from midyear.
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
This Selected Issues paper evaluates Australia’s experience with its principles-based fiscal framework. A key contribution of the paper is an evaluation of whether the medium-term budget balance anchor remains suitable in the post-Global Financial Crisis (GFC) economic environment. This paper analyzes the medium-term fiscal strategy (MTFS) in the context of the principles underlying the fiscal framework and offers suggestions for reinforcement. Comparing the alternative and current fiscal policy toolkits under a downside scenario demonstrates possible improvements to fiscal outcomes. The evaluation outlines that the operational principles of the MTFS have been consistent with the broad principles for sound fiscal policy laid out in the Charter, although implementation has involved difficult trade-offs. Options to deal with the treatment of debt, its accountability framework and its fiscal policy toolkit should help strengthen the statement and implementation of Australia’s fiscal strategy and reinforce its fiscal framework in the current and prospective economic environment.
Allan Dizioli
,
Mr. Philippe D Karam
,
Mr. Dirk V Muir
, and
Siegfried Steinlein
This paper revisits options for fiscal anchors in Australia against the backdrop of a medium-term budget balance anchor that has led to larger than expected upward drift in the net debt to GDP ratio since the end of the mining investment boom. The IMF’s G20MOD model is used to compare the budget balance anchor with a long-term debt anchor. Using model simulations evaluated against objective macro stabilization-debt control criteria under three likely scenarios for the Australian economy, the latter is found to perform at least as well as the former. The paper also considers the operationalization of a long-term debt anchor utilizing a combination of fiscal rules which includes expenditure restrictions and a flexible time horizon for convergence, aiming at encouraging countercyclical fiscal policy and minimizing the cost in terms of real GDP foregone in the medium term under fiscal consolidation.
W. J. Jansen
Feldstein and Horioka (1980) argued that the correlation of saving and investment in a cross-section of countries may provide a test of global capital mobility. This paper argues that neither the long-run nor the short-run correlation can serve as a reliable basis for such a test. The intertemporal budget constraint implies that each country’s saving and investment should be cointegrated over time. Simulations show that the cross-section regressions used in the literature will produce correlations that strongly tend towards one, regardless of the degree of capital mobility. Although the short-run correlation is not affected by the intertemporal budget constraint, the empirical analysis shows it is primarily a country-specific business cycle fact.