This paper analyzes the degree to which volatility in interbank interest rates leads to volatility in financial instruments with longer maturities (e.g., T-bills) in Kenya since 2012, year in which the monetary policy framework switched to a forward-looking approach, relative to seven other inflation targeting (IT) countries (Ghana, Hungary, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, and Uganda). Kenya shows strong volatility transmission and high persistence similar to other countries in transition to a more forward-looking monetary policy framework. These results emphasize the importance of a strong commitment to an interbank rate as an operational target and suggest that the central bank could reduce uncertainty in short-term yields significantly by smoothing out the overnight interest rates around the policy rate.
This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix analyzes the labor market of Mauritius. It highlights that the high level of youth unemployment in Mauritius points to deficiencies in education and training. There are also significant rigidities in the functioning of the labor market that aggravate the problem. In particular, the Mauritian labor market is highly regulated and the relevant institutions operate according to a legalistic approach in which economic criteria play a relatively minor role.