Policy Papers
2013
August 28, 2013
Trade Interconnectedness - The World with Global Value Chains
Description: The aim of this paper is to address the implications of Global Value Chains (GVCs) for the Fund’s surveillance work. The paper first draws on the World Input-Output Database (WIOD) to document the dynamics of trade linkages between countries and regions through GVCs and its impact on the real economy. The paper then examines the implications of GVCs for the real effective exchange rate (REER), a key tool used at the Fund for bilateral as well as multilateral surveillance work, and shows the potential benefit of revisiting the REER formula in light of the increasing relevance of GVCs. The paper ends with implications of GVCs for trade and trade-related policies and the multilateral trading system.
August 20, 2013
The Fund's Income Position for FY 2013—Actual Outcome
Description: This paper reports the Fund’s income position for FY 2013 following the closing of the Fund’s accounts for the financial year and completion of the external audit. FY 2013 net income, including income from surcharges, amounted to SDR 2.0 billion, and was in line with the April estimate. In accordance with decisions taken in April 2013, a corresponding transfer of currencies has been made from the GRA to the investment account. The placement of the net income to the Fund’s reserves has further strengthened the Fund’s precautionary balances, which reached SDR 11.5 billion at the end of FY 2013.
July 23, 2013
Quota Formula - Data Update and Further Considerations
Description:
The IMF staff has updated individual member country data for the variables used in the quota formula for the period 1999-2011; the tables also include the comparable value of each variable for the previous quota dataset, which was based on data covering the period 1998-2010. The information is presented in millions of SDRs (Table A1) and in percent of their respective global totals (Tables A2 and A3).
A table showing calculated quota shares based on the quota formula is also included (Table A4). The current quota formula includes a GDP variable, which is a blend of GDP at market rates and GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP), openness, variability, and international reserves (see Box 1 in Reform of Quota and Voice in the International Monetary Fund-Draft Report of the Executive Board to the Board of Governors).
Data sources and a description of the quota variables are discussed in Quota Formula – Data Update and Further Considerations - Statistical Appendix; IMF Policy Paper; June 2013.
Download Quota Data:
Updated IMF Quota Formula Variables - July 2013
July 18, 2013
List of IMF Member Countries with Delays in Completion of Article IV Consultations or Mandatory Financial Stability Assessments Over 18 Months
Description: The following table lists the IMF members for which the Article IV consultation or the mandatory financial stability assessment has been delayed by more than 18 months. The delay is counted past the scheduled expected date, plus any applicable grace period.
July 17, 2013
Proposed Amendment on the Reform of the IMF Executive Board and Fourteenth General Review of Quotas - Status of Acceptances and Consents
Description: This status report reviews progress toward implementation of the 2010 Quota and Governance Reforms. It updates the status of consents to the proposed quota increases under the 14th General Review of Quotas and of acceptances of the Proposed Seventh Amendment on the Reform of the Executive Board (“Board Reform Amendment” or “Seventh Amendment”) as set out in the Board of Governors Resolution No. 66-2.
July 16, 2013
Global Liquidity - Credit and Funding Indicators
Description: This note reviews some concepts of global liquidity and discusses measurement approaches that have been used by various interlocutors, including at the BIS, by Fund staff, and in academia. Some measures that could be regularly monitored by policy makers are presented.
July 16, 2013
Case Studies of Fiscal Councils - Functions and Impact
Description: This supplement presents case studies of seven fiscal councils and examines how each council performs its core functions and if and how it impacts on the fiscal policy debate. The seven fiscal councils are: Belgium (Conseil Supérieur des Finances—HCF), Canada (Parliamentary Budget Officer—PBO), Hungary (Költségvetési Tanács), Korea (National Assembly Budget Office—NABO), the Netherlands (Centraal Planbureau—CPB), Sweden (Finanspolitiska rådet), and the United States (Congressional Budget Office-CBO). The main paper presents the comparative lessons and the general findings of this study based on a systematic comparison of these fiscal councils’ experiences. This supplement discusses in detail each individual fiscal council’s experiences.
July 16, 2013
The Functions and Impact of Fiscal Councils
Description: In recent years, a rapidly growing number of countries have established independent agencies aimed at promoting sound fiscal policies. Although these institutions vary greatly in terms of their remit, tasks, and institutional forms, they tend to share an explicit mandate enshrined in legislation, a “watchdog” role implying a direct contribution to the public debate on fiscal policy, and strict non-partisanship in their activities. Importantly, fiscal councils do not have the discretion to set policy instruments. Unlike independent central banks in the monetary policy area, they are only facilitators of sound fiscal public finances, not decision makers deliberately insulated from politics. Earlier IMF staff analysis of non-partisan fiscal agencies (IMF, 2005, expanded by Debrun, Hauner and Kumar, 2009) referred to the generic term of “fiscal council” to designate these institutions. A handful of similar bodies have been in place for a long time—mostly in advanced economies.
July 9, 2013
Local Currency Bond Markets - A Diagnostic Framework
Description: In November 2011, the G-20 endorsed an action plan to support the development of local currency bond markets (LCBM). International institutions—the IMF, the World Bank, the EBRD, and the OECD—were asked to draw on their experience to develop a diagnostic framework (DF) to identify general preconditions, key components, and constraints for successful LCBM development. The objective is to provide a tool for analyzing the state of development and efficiency of local currency bond markets. The application of the DF is expected to be flexible, bearing in mind that the potential for LCBM development depends on economic size, financing needs, and stage of economic development.
July 3, 2013
Report on the Incidence of Longer-Term Program Engagement
Description: Longer-term program engagement (LTPE) occurs when a member has spent at least seven of the past 10 years under Fund-supported financial arrangements. In response to the Executive Board’s request for periodic updates on the incidence of LTPEs, this is the fourteenth such report and provides information through July 1, 2013.