The safeguards policy was introduced in 2000 to reduce the risks of misuse of Fund resources and misreporting of program monetary data to the Fund. It supports the Fund’s approach to prudent lending and complements other safeguards such as program design, conditionality, and access limits, to name a few. Some 242 assessments of 92 central banks have been completed since 2000. Assessments are followed by a period of monitoring for as long as Fund credit is outstanding.
This report by the external expert panel (“the panel”) examines the effectiveness and appropriateness of the safeguards assessments policy in the five years since its last review in 2010. In addition to expressing an opinion on the effectiveness and appropriateness of the safeguards assessment policy, the panel also makes recommendations to the Executive Board for its consideration to improve and optimize the benefits to be garnered from the safeguards assessment policy. The panel’s opinion is based on (i) consultations with key stakeholders, including central bank authorities, IMF Executive Directors’ offices, Fund and World Bank staff; (ii) examination of safeguards assessment and other Fund-specific documents; and (iii) study of international reference materials.
This 2018 Article IV Consultation highlights that the economy of Malawi recently rebounded from two years of drought. Growth picked up from 2.3 percent in 2016 to an estimated 4.0 percent in 2017 owing to a recovery in agricultural production. Inflation has been reduced below 10 percent owing to the stabilization of food prices, prudent fiscal and monetary policies, and a stable exchange rate. Economic growth is expected to increase gradually, reaching over 6 percent in the medium term. Growth will be supported by enhanced infrastructure investment and social services as well as an improved business environment, which will boost confidence and unlock the economy’s potential for higher, more broad-based, and resilient growth and employment.
The Malawian economy is slowly recovering, thanks to corrective measures such as the floating exchange rate regime and liberated current account transactions. Stringent fiscal discipline, restrained monetary policies, and boosting of international reserves have been suggested as measures for controlling inflation and stabilizing the macroeconomy. Operation power and freedom for results-based management (RBM) and implementation of Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS-II) are also suggested by the Executive Board. Measures to ensure revenue gain concurrent with spending have also been recommended.
This report reviews Guinea’s economic performance under the program supported by an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement. Guinea was declared free of the Ebola epidemic at end-2015, and after two years of stagnant activity, growth is expected to rebound this year. After solid performance in 2014, ECF program implementation weakened in 2015. Following last October’s Presidential elections, there has been a concerted effort to bring the ECF-supported program back on-track. Macroeconomic policies for 2016 aim to improve reserves coverage to three months of imports, and keep inflation within single digit figures as envisioned in the 2015 ECF-supported program. The 2016 budget envisions a significant broad-based fiscal contraction.
This edited collection provides an interdisciplinary and cross-national perspective on safeguarding the quality of forensic assessment in sentencing offenders. Taking an in-depth look at seven different Western countries, each chapter provides an overview of the role of assessment in sentencing offenders, as well as a focus on formal ways in which the respective country’s legal system and disciplinary associations protect the quality of forensic assessment. Each chapter explores how to assure better decision making in individual cases based on assessments of psycholegal concepts such as mental disorder/insanity, criminal responsibility and dangerousness. Combining the perspectives of lawyers, legal scholars, and clinicians working in the field, this book is essential for those working in and with forensic assessment. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.
Tanzania’s macroeconomic outlook is favorable with buoyant growth and declining inflation. The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) commended its prudent policy management and progress in stabilizing the economy. The country’s 2012–13 budget appropriately balances the development and social spending needs with the debt-stabilizing objective. The country’s structural reforms aim to secure fiscal sustainability and support a strong economic expansion in the medium term. The Directors concluded that the floating exchange regime would continue to provide helpful flexibility to preserve its macroeconomic stability.
The 2015 Article IV Consultation discusses key issues related to the economic growth of Lesotho. Although Lesotho achieved solid economic growth with only moderate inflation in the several years, this growth has failed to reduce poverty in the country. Lesotho's major chunk of revenue comes from South African Customs Union to finance large government expenditures, but this revenue will fall sharply in fiscal year 2016/17. Despite having substantial international reserves and fiscal buffers, a major fiscal adjustment over the next two to three years will be needed to maintain macroeconomic stability. The private sector needs to be the engine for job creation to strengthen inclusiveness.
This paper examines Georgia’s request for an 18-month arrangement for SDR 477.1 million, equivalent to about US$750 million, which would constitute exceptional access. IMF support to the government’s macroeconomic policies is intended to provide the needed financing to rebuild gross international reserves, and to help restore investor confidence. Monetary policy has to tackle the dilemma of providing sufficient liquidity to the banking system while stabilizing the exchange rate and avoiding an excessive loss of international reserves.
This 2019 Article IV Consultation with Brazil discusses that growth is projected at 0.8 percent in 2019 and to accelerate in 2020 conditional on the approval of a robust pension reform and favorable financial conditions. The current budget is guided by the federal expenditure ceiling, entailing a minor reduction of the structural primary balance in 2019. The review encouraged the authorities to step up implementation of structural reforms essential to raise potential growth, including improving the business environment, lowering trade barriers, and boosting productivity. Fiscal policy is expected to be mildly supportive in 2019 and subsequently turn moderately contractionary to respect the constitutional ceiling. Gross public debt is projected to peak in 2024 at 96 percent of gross domestic product. Brazil needs decisive structural reforms to raise potential growth, including tax reforms, privatization, trade liberalization, and measures to enhance the efficiency of financial intermediation. Given the high and increasing level of public debt, fiscal consolidation is essential. The government should preserve a broadly neutral fiscal stance in 2019.
