Policy Papers
2013
May 16, 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 14 th 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.
May 14, 2013
2013 Review of the Fund's Transparency Policy
Description:
A stronger presumption of publication for all program-related documents could further increase publication rates, while defining prompt publication should help reduce publication lags. Streamlining external communication products could reduce the risk of inconsistent messaging. The review also presents new evidence on evenhandedness with now only few cases not fulfilling the criteria for modifications under the policy. It nevertheless suggests measures to strengthen monitoring in this area. The review sets out the Fund’s policies on confidential information, and proposes that staff systematically explains these policies in its interactions with country authorities.
In response to recent surveillance reforms, the review also proposes a new publication regime for multi-country documents. Staff sees the introduction of a publication regime for a new category of multi-country documents as the best way to ensure that the Fund publishes candid multilateral surveillance, while respecting members’ needs. Similarly, the modification rules for country documents will need to be adapted to take into account the implications of the Integrated Surveillance Decision (ISD).
May 6, 2013
Staff Guidance Note for Public Debt Sustainability Analysis in Market-Access Countries
Description: The framework for fiscal policy and public debt sustainability analysis (DSA) in market-access countries (MACs) was reviewed by the Executive Board in August 2011.1 The review responded to shortcomings in identifying fiscal vulnerabilities and assessing risks to debt sustainability against the backdrop of increased concerns over fiscal policy and public debt sustainability in many advanced economies.
April 30, 2013
The Consolidated Medium-Term Income and Expenditure Framework
Description:
The medium-term projections of Fund income and precautionary balances accumulation have been updated since the April 2012 projections. The overall income outlook remains positive with continued high lending income expected in the medium-term. The projections indicate a downward shift in the income path primarily due to lower non-lending income as a result of the low global interest rates and the agreement to phase in investments under the new gold-sales funded endowment. The updated expenditure path has not changed significantly. The projections also illustrate a broad balance between income and expenditures when lending returns to pre-crisis levels.
The accumulation of precautionary balances remains strong in the medium-term. The indicative medium-term target of SDR 20 billion is now expected to be reached by FY18–FY19.
April 30, 2013
Review of the Fund’s Income Position for FY 2013 and FY 2014
Description:
This paper reviews the Fund’s income position for FY 2013 and FY 2014. The paper updates projections provided at the FY 2013 midyear review and proposes decisions for the current and next financial year. The paper includes a comprehensive review of the Fund’s income position as required under the new Rule I-6(4) adopted in December 2011 (see Box 1). Based on this review, no change in the margin for the rate of charge is proposed.
The paper is structured as follows: The first section reviews the FY 2013 income position and the main changes from the midyear projections; the second section makes proposals on the disposition of FY 2013 net income, and placement to reserves; the third section discusses the margin on the rate of charge for FY 2014, updates the income projections, and reviews the projected burden sharing adjustments; and the last section reviews special charges.
April 29, 2013
Summary of Informal Discussions with Central Bankers and Other Officials on Unconventional Monetary Policies
Description: A series of conference calls was held in March 2013 with selected representatives of central banks and other official agencies in advanced and emerging market economies to seek views on unconventional monetary policies (UMP). The key points raised during the discussions are summarized below. No views have been attributed to individual participants, and Fund staff is ultimately responsible for the contents of this summary.
April 26, 2013
Sovereign Debt Restructuring - Recent Developments and Implications for the Fund's Legal and Policy Framework
Description:
This paper reviews the recent application of the Fund’s policies and practices on sovereign debt restructuring.
Specifically, the paper:
• recaps in a holistic manner the various policies and practices that underpin the Fund's legal and policy framework for sovereign debt restructuring, including on debt sustainability, market access, financing assurances, arrears, private sector involvement (PSI), official sector involvement (OSI), and the use of legal instruments;
• reviews how this framework has been applied in the context of Fund-supported programs and highlights the issues that have emerged in light of recent experience with debt restructuring; and
• describes recent initiatives in various fora aimed at promoting orderly sovereign debt restructuring, highlighting differences with the Fund’s existing framework.
Based on this stocktaking, the paper identifies issues that could be considered in further depth in follow-up work by staff to assess whether the Fund’s framework for debt restructuring should be adapted:
• first, debt restructurings have often been too little and too late, thus failing to re-establish debt sustainability and market access in a durable way. Overcoming these problems likely requires action on several fronts, including (i) increased rigor and transparency of debt sustainability and market access assessments, (ii) exploring ways to prevent the use of Fund resources to simply bail out private creditors, and (iii) measures to alleviate the costs associated with restructurings;
• second, while creditor participation has been adequate in recent restructurings, the current contractual, market-based approach to debt restructuring is becoming less potent in overcoming collective action problems, especially in pre-default cases. In response, consideration could be given to making the contractual framework more effective, including through the introduction of more robust aggregation clauses into international sovereign bonds bearing in mind the inter-creditor equity issues that such an approach may raise.
The Fund may also consider ways to condition use of its financing more tightly to the resolution of collective action problems;
• third, the growing role and changing composition of official lending call for a clearer framework for official sector involvement, especially with regard to non-Paris Club creditors, for which the modality for securing program financing commitments could be tightened; and
• fourth, although the collaborative, good-faith approach to resolving external private arrears embedded in the lending into arrears (LIA) policy remains the most promising way to regain market access post-default, a review of the effectiveness of the LIA policy is in order in light of recent experience and the increased complexity of the creditor base. Consideration could also be given to extending the LIA policy to official arrears.
April 25, 2013
Guidance Note for the Liberalization and Management of Capital Flows
Description: This note provides operational guidance to staff for how to use the Fund’s institutional view on the liberalization and management of capital flows. The institutional view is a consistent basis for providing policy advice on capital flows and policies related to them and assessments when required for surveillance. In the absence of an institutional view, country teams risk providing inconsistent advice to countries in similar circumstances (IEO, 2005). The view does not have mandatory implications for Fund-supported programs or technical assistance. It does not alter members’ rights and obligations under the Fund’s Articles of Agreement or under any other international agreements. The institutional view and guidance will evolve over time to reflect new experience, emerging views of authorities and staff, and research. Staff teams are encouraged to reflect useful lessons from authorities’ experiences with capital flow liberalization and management in Fund reports so that these experiences can continue to influence the Fund’s approach to these issues.
April 22, 2013
Framework Administered Account for Selected Fund Activities: Africa Training Institute Subaccount for Selected Fund Activities
Description: In March 2009, the Fund established a new Framework Administered Account to administer external financial resources for selected Fund activities (the “SFA Instrument”).1 The financing of activities under the terms of the SFA Instrument is implemented through the establishment and operation of a subaccount within the SFA. This paper requests Executive Board approval to establish the Africa Training Institute Subaccount for Selected Fund Activities (the “Subaccount”) under the terms of the SFA Instrument.
April 20, 2013
Managing Director's Global Policy Agenda
Description: The global economy has avoided the worst, but it is by no means out of the woods, and prospects may be diverging. A three-speed global recovery is emerging. Sentiment has improved, but growth and jobs are still lagging in many places, some old risks remain and could rekindle tail risks, and new risks are arising. Policymakers must, to varying degrees, continue to nurse the recovery, repair systems damaged by the crisis, strengthen defenses against a recurrence, and anticipate new challenges from stronger expansion. In a world of interconnections, lagging policy momentum in some corners will soon affect all.