Download or read book Public Expenditure Policies in Southeast Europe written by Ivailo V. Izvorski and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2008-02-20 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The countries of Southeast Europe have undergone a significant transition over the past decade. Helped by macroeconomic stabilization and efforts in advancing structural reforms, real GDP growth has picked up this century. Fiscal adjustment has been an integral part of the transition. Expenditure cuts have helped trim spending relative to GDP in most countries in the region and cut fiscal deficits everywhere except in Serbia. Progress in fiscal consolidation has been substantial, but in several of the countries the government's presence in the economy remains oversized. Costs related to advancing EU integration and completing reforms are expected to generate further pressures for public spending. Creating the fiscal space for addressing such pressures would require a further reduction in existing spending, given that there is still scope for increasing tax rates. The report identifies key remaining challenges and proposes a menu of options in further reforms in sectors that account for the largest shares of public spending, and where reforms are likely to have significant budgetary implications. The sectors discussed in the report are social protection, health, education, public administration, and infrastructure.

Download or read book Understanding Fiscal Space written by Mr.Peter S. Heller and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2005-03-01 with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With new initiatives to provide low income countries with external assistance in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), donors and NGOs are seeking to understand whether "fiscal space" can be provided in the context of IMF-supported programs to support these initiatives. This paper defines the concept of fiscal space and its link to fiscal sustainability, describes alternative ways in which fiscal space can be created, and notes how the IMF can support appropriate efforts to create fiscal space. The paper underscores that the issues that arise in creating fiscal space are not novel, but have always confronted governments in judging whether there is scope for additional expenditure.

Download or read book Improving Fiscal Transparency to Raise Government Efficiency and Reduce Corruption Vulnerabilities in Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe written by Mr.Bernardin Akitoby and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2020-05-11 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This departmental paper investigates how countries in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) can improve fiscal transparency, thereby raising government efficiency and reducing corruption vulnerabilities.

Download or read book Coordination of Monetary and Fiscal Policies written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1998-03-01 with total page 33 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recently, monetary authorities have increasingly focused on implementing policies to ensure price stability and strengthen central bank independence. Simultaneously, in the fiscal area, market development has allowed public debt managers to focus more on cost minimization. This “divorce” of monetary and debt management functions in no way lessens the need for effective coordination of monetary and fiscal policy if overall economic performance is to be optimized and maintained in the long term. This paper analyzes these issues based on a review of the relevant literature and of country experiences from an institutional and operational perspective.

Download or read book FISCAL decentralization indicators for South East Europe report 2006 2014 written by Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe and published by NALAS. This book was released on with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Mastering the Risky Business of Public Private Partnerships in Infrastructure written by Manal Fouad and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2021-05-10 with total page 61 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Investment in infrastructure can be a driving force of the economic recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of shrinking fiscal space. Public-private partnerships (PPP) bring a promise of efficiency when carefully designed and managed, to avoid creating unnecessary fiscal risks. But fiscal illusions prevent an understanding the sources of fiscal risks, which arise in all infrastructure projects, and that in PPPs present specific characteristics that need to be addressed. PPP contracts are also affected by implicit fiscal risks when they are poorly designed, particularly when a government signs a PPP contract for a project with no financial sustainability. This paper reviews the advantages and inconveniences of PPPs, discusses the fiscal illusions affecting them, identifies a diversity of fiscal risks, and presents the essentials of PPP fiscal risk management.

Download or read book Fiscal Policy and Long Term Growth written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2015-04-20 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper explores how fiscal policy can affect medium- to long-term growth. It identifies the main channels through which fiscal policy can influence growth and distills practical lessons for policymakers. The particular mix of policy measures, however, will depend on country-specific conditions, capacities, and preferences. The paper draws on the Fund’s extensive technical assistance on fiscal reforms as well as several analytical studies, including a novel approach for country studies, a statistical analysis of growth accelerations following fiscal reforms, and simulations of an endogenous growth model.

Download or read book Decentralization and Local Development in South East Europe written by W. Bartlett and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-02-21 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Decentralisation is changing the face of South East Europe. This book provides practical analysis of the devolutionary measures reshaping post-Communist economies. Using case studies from Croatia, the former Yugoslavia, Albania and more, this collection offers valuable insights into political and fiscal redistribution.

Download or read book Africa s Infrastructure written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2009-12-01 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable infrastructure development is vital for Africa s prosperity. And now is the time to begin the transformation. This volume is the culmination of an unprecedented effort to document, analyze, and interpret the full extent of the challenge in developing Sub-Saharan Africa s infrastructure sectors. As a result, it represents the most comprehensive reference currently available on infrastructure in the region. The book covers the five main economic infrastructure sectors information and communication technology, irrigation, power, transport, and water and sanitation. 'Africa s Infrastructure: A Time for Transformation' reflects the collaboration of a wide array of African regional institutions and development partners under the auspices of the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa. It presents the findings of the Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD), a project launched following a commitment in 2005 by the international community (after the G8 summit at Gleneagles, Scotland) to scale up financial support for infrastructure development in Africa. The lack of reliable information in this area made it difficult to evaluate the success of past interventions, prioritize current allocations, and provide benchmarks for measuring future progress, hence the need for the AICD. Africa s infrastructure sectors lag well behind those of the rest of the world, and the gap is widening. Some of the main policy-relevant findings highlighted in the book include the following: infrastructure in the region is exceptionally expensive, with tariffs being many times higher than those found elsewhere. Inadequate and expensive infrastructure is retarding growth by 2 percentage points each year. Solving the problem will cost over US$90 billion per year, which is more than twice what is being spent in Africa today. However, money alone is not the answer. Prudent policies, wise management, and sound maintenance can improve efficiency, thereby stretching the infrastructure dollar. There is the potential to recover an additional US$17 billion a year from within the existing infrastructure resource envelope simply by improving efficiency. For example, improved revenue collection and utility management could generate US$3.3 billion per year. Regional power trade could reduce annual costs by US$2 billion. And deregulating the trucking industry could reduce freight costs by one-half. So, raising more funds without also tackling inefficiencies would be like pouring water into a leaking bucket. Finally, the power sector and fragile states represent particular challenges. Even if every efficiency in every infrastructure sector could be captured, a substantial funding gap of $31 billion a year would remain. Nevertheless, the African people and economies cannot wait any longer. Now is the time to begin the transformation to sustainable development.

Download or read book Emigration and Its Economic Impact on Eastern Europe written by Mr.Ruben Atoyan and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2016-07-20 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper analyses the impact of large and persistent emigration from Eastern European countries over the past 25 years on these countries’ growth and income convergence to advanced Europe. While emigration has likely benefited migrants themselves, the receiving countries and the EU as a whole, its impact on sending countries’ economies has been largely negative. The analysis suggests that labor outflows, particularly of skilled workers, lowered productivity growth, pushed up wages, and slowed growth and income convergence. At the same time, while remittance inflows supported financial deepening, consumption and investment in some countries, they also reduced incentives to work and led to exchange rate appreciations, eroding competiveness. The departure of the young also added to the fiscal pressures of already aging populations in Eastern Europe. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for sending countries to mitigate the negative impact of emigration on their economies, and the EU-wide initiatives that could support these efforts.

Download or read book International Monetary Fund Annual Report 2019 Financial Statements written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-10-04 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The audited consolidated financial statements of the International Monetary Fund as of April 30, 2019 and 2018

Download or read book A Strategy for Resolving Europe s Problem Loans written by Mr.Shekhar Aiyar and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2015-09-24 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Europe’s banking system is weighed down by high levels of non-performing loans (NPLs), which are holding down credit growth and economic activity. This discussion note uses a new survey of European country authorities and banks to examine the structural obstacles that discourage banks from addressing their problem loans. A three pillared strategy is advocated to remedy the situation, comprising: (i) tightened supervisory policies, (ii) insolvency reforms, and (iii) the development of distressed debt markets.

Download or read book Global Waves of Debt written by M. Ayhan Kose and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2021-03-03 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The global economy has experienced four waves of rapid debt accumulation over the past 50 years. The first three debt waves ended with financial crises in many emerging market and developing economies. During the current wave, which started in 2010, the increase in debt in these economies has already been larger, faster, and broader-based than in the previous three waves. Current low interest rates mitigate some of the risks associated with high debt. However, emerging market and developing economies are also confronted by weak growth prospects, mounting vulnerabilities, and elevated global risks. A menu of policy options is available to reduce the likelihood that the current debt wave will end in crisis and, if crises do take place, will alleviate their impact.

Download or read book New edition of the Fiscal Decentralisation Indicators Report 2006 2015 written by Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe and published by NALAS. This book was released on with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book From Stabilisation to Integration written by Erhard Busek and published by Böhlau Verlag Wien. This book was released on 2010 with total page 692 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe has recently handed over responsibility for regional co-operation in South Eastern Europe to its regionally owned successor organisation, the Regional Co-operation Council. To recapitulate the nine years of work of the Stability Pact in the field of democracy, economy and security, we decided to invite a wide range of authors and specialists to put together a comprehensive publication, that will provide an in depth analysis of the achievements of the Stability Pact and include political documents that shaped the developments of South Eastern Europe"--P. [4] of cover.

Download or read book Second Generation Fiscal Rules written by Luc Eyraud and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2018-04-13 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fiscal rule frameworks have evolved significantly in response to the global financial crisis. Many countries have reformed their fiscal rules or introduced new ones with a view to enhancing the credibility of fiscal policy and providing a medium-term anchor. Enforcement and monitoring mechanisms have also been upgraded. However, these innovations have made the systems of rules more complicated to operate, while compliance has not improved. The SDN takes stock of past experiences, reviews recent reforms, and presents new research on the effectiveness of rules. It also proposes guiding principles for future reforms to strike a better balance between simplicity, flexibility, and enforceability. Read the blog

Download or read book Fiscal Politics written by Vitor Gaspar and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2017-04-07 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two main themes of the book are that (1) politics can distort optimal fiscal policy through elections and through political fragmentation, and (2) rules and institutions can attenuate the negative effects of this dynamic. The book has three parts: part 1 (9 chapters) outlines the problems; part 2 (6 chapters) outlines how institutions and fiscal rules can offer solutions; and part 3 (4 chapters) discusses how multilevel governance frameworks can help.