Policy Papers
2021
May 18, 2021
2021 Comprehensive Surveillance Review— Background Paper on Main Findings from The Stakeholder Surveys
Description: This note presents key results from the surveys of country authorities, IMF Executive Directors (EDs), and mission chiefs (MCs) to inform the Comprehensive Surveillance Review (CSR). Key takeaways and cross-cutting themes that emerge are Trends, Policy Challenges, Surveillance Priorities, Surveillance modalities and Traction.
May 18, 2021
2021 Comprehensive Surveillance Review— Background Paper on The Surveillance Priority Preempting and Mitigating Spillovers
Description: The Fund has a range of modalities and tools to cover spillovers. However, there remains scope to enhance synergies between global and country-specific spillover coverage and to foster cross-country dialogue. Practical guidance and enhanced information-sharing would also allow for more systematic surveillance of spillovers. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need to continue expanding the research frontier covering new spillovers and channels and developing new tools and data sets. Therefore, filling these remaining gaps in the Fund’s spillover work would allow for a more coordinated and evenhanded surveillance of spillovers.
May 18, 2021
2021 Comprehensive Surveillance Review — Overview Paper
Description: Fund surveillance needs to evolve to face the economic and financial challenges that will shape the global landscape for years to come. This paper first takes stock of the current economic and financial landscape. To better serve the membership in this context, Fund surveillance should be prioritized around four key priorities: (i) confronting risks and uncertainties: policymakers will need to actively manage the risks of a highly uncertain outlook; (ii) preempting and mitigating adverse spillovers: shifting patterns of global economic integration will bring about new channels for contagion and policy spillovers; (iii) fostering economic sustainability: a broader understanding of sustainability to better account for the impact of economic and non-economic developments on stability; and (iv) unified policy advice: better accounting for the trade-offs and synergies among different policy combinations in the face of limited policy space and overlapping priorities, tailored to country-specific circumstances. These priorities should further enhance the traction of Fund surveillance.
April 29, 2021
G20 Note On Environmentally Sustainable Investment For The Recovery
Description: This Note prepared for the G20 Infrastructure Working Group summarizes the main finding of the IMF flagships regarding the role of environmentally sustainable investment for the recovery. It emphasizes that environmentally sustainable investment is an important enabler for a resilient greener, and inclusive recovery—it creates jobs, spurs economic growth, addresses climate change, and improves the quality of life. It can also stimulate much needed private sector greener and resilient investment.
April 7, 2021
The Managing Director’s Global Policy Agenda, Spring Meetings 2021: Bolstering the Recovery, Countering the Divergence
Description: An unprecedented policy response and rapid progress in vaccine development have helped pull the global economy from a deep recession. But the outlook is marked by high uncertainty and great divergence. Carefully calibrated policies and stronger international cooperation are vital to safely exit the crisis. Transformative policies should aim for fast convergence toward a green, digital, and inclusive future.
April 5, 2021
Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust—Third Tranche Of Debt Service Relief In The Context Of The COVID-19 Pandemic
Description: This paper proposes that the Executive Board approve the disbursement of a third tranche of CCRT debt service relief to 28 of the 29 CCRT-eligible members, covering the period April 14, 2021 through October 15, 2021, given staff’s assessment that sufficient financial resources are available.
April 2, 2021
World Bank Group And International Monetary Fund Support For Debt Relief Under The Common Framework And Beyond
Description: This paper discusses World Bank and IMF support for addressing fiscal and debt distress in IDA countries, with emphasis on strong continued concessional flows for green, resilient, and inclusive development.
March 31, 2021
Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust— 2020-21 Borrowing Agreements with The Government of Australia, Danmarks Nationalbank, The Bank Of Italy, The German Federal Ministry Of Finance On Behalf Of The Federal Republic Of Germany, And The Swiss National Bank
Description: This paper presents to the Executive Board for information the second set of new borrowing agreements for the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust.
March 30, 2021
Macroeconomic Developments and Prospects In Low-Income Countries—2021
Description: This paper is the sixth in a series that examines macroeconomic developments and prospects in low-income countries (LICs). LICs are defined in this report as the countries eligible to PRGT facilities (69 countries). The first section of the paper discusses recent macroeconomic developments and trends across LICs. The second section estimates LICs’ financing needs up to 2025 to resume and accelerate their income convergence with advanced economies (AEs). It does this by estimating the additional financing that would enable LICs to step up spending response to COVID, including vaccination needs, while rebuilding or keeping external buffers to enhance resilience, and then the paper considers the financing needed to allow LICs to accelerate convergence with AEs. The paper then discusses a mix of financing options, including concessional financing from the international financial institutions, grants and loans from bilateral donors, private financing and debt operations, but also domestic reforms within LICs themselves as a key component to foster growth, enhance private investment, raise public revenues, and increase efficiency of spending.
March 25, 2021
Temporary Extensions and Modifications Of Access Limits In The Fund’s Lending Facilities
Description: The Fund introduced two main sets of temporary adjustments to its lending frameworks in the early months of the pandemic: (i) increases in the limits on access to its emergency financing instruments (April 2020) and (ii) increases in the annual limits on access to financing from both its general and concessional financing facilities (July 2020).