Policy Papers
2012
February 14, 2012
Implementation Plan in Response to Board-Endorsed Recommendations for the IEO Evaluation of IMF Performance in the Run-Up to the Financial and Economic Crisis
Description: This paper presents a forward-looking management implementation plan (MIP) for the IEO evaluation. In addition to addressing the specific Board-endorsed IEO recommendations, the paper also tries to transcend a narrow interpretation by providing new implementation ideas where the Board saw merit in the IEO’s general, if not specific, approach. For example, while the Board did not agree with the specific recommendation to create a risk-assessment unit, this paper takes a broader view and presents proposals to address the general concern of a lack of risk-focus in IMF surveillance.
February 10, 2012
Quota Formula Review - Initial Considerations
Description:
The Board of Governors has asked the Executive Board to complete a comprehensive review of the quota formula by January 2013. This review is an mportant part of the 2010 quota and governance reforms. At the Seoul Summit, G-20 Leaders welcomed the reforms, which they noted include “Continuing the dynamic process aimed at enhancing the voice and representation of emerging market and developing countries, including the poorest, through a comprehensive review of the quota formula by January 2013 to better reflect the economic weights; and through completion of the next general review of quotas by January 2014.” At its most recent meeting in September 2011, the IMFC stressed that governance reform is crucial to the legitimacy and effectiveness of the IMF. The IMFC committed to intensify its efforts to meet the 2012 Annual Meetings target for effectiveness of the 2010 reform, and called for a report on progress in the quota formula review by the time of its next meeting.
February 3, 2012
Proposed Steps to Address Excessive Delays in the Completion of Article IV Consultations
Description: Bilateral surveillance is mandatory for both the Fund and its members, and all members have an obligation to consult with the Fund for this purpose.3 Periodic consultations with members on their policies and access to necessary information are essential for effective bilateral surveillance. Furthermore, to enable the Fund to effectively conduct multilateral surveillance, bilateral surveillance needs to cover all economies at a reasonable frequency.
February 1, 2012
Partial Distribution of the General Reserve Attributed to Windfall Gold Sale Profits--Proposed Decision
Description:
This paper proposes the distribution of a portion of the Fund’s general reserve that is attributed to profits from recent Fund gold sales. The proposed distribution is part of a strategy endorsed by the Board in July 2009 involving the use of resources linked to gold sale profits to facilitate members’ contributions towards Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) subsidies.
The strategy was formulated in the context of a comprehensive reform of the Fund’s Low Income Country (LIC) facilities and concessional financing framework approved by the Executive Board that included a financing package aimed at ensuring the PRGT’s capacity to lend concessional resources of up to SDR 11.3 billion ($17 billion) during the period 2009–14. The financing package included an agreement to raise SDR 1.5 billion in subsidy resources, of which SDR 0.5–0.6 billion (in end-2008 NPV terms) was expected to be generated from resources linked to profits from gold sales.
January 31, 2012
Eighth Review of the Fund’s Data Standard Initiatives
Description: This paper reports on developments in the Data Standards Initiatives since the Seventh Review of the Fund’s Data Standards Initiatives (December 2008), and presents proposals for further enhancing the SDDS, and for data categories for the new higher tier of the data standards, the SDDS Plus. The SDDS Plus is primarily intended for subscribers to the SDDS with systemically important financial sectors while contributing to address further the data gaps revealed in the global financial crisis. This new tier is designed to enhance and supplement the Fund’s Data Standards Initiatives and not to replace the SDDS.
January 18, 2012
Framework Administered Account for Select Fund Activities - The Republic of South Sudan Macroeconomic Capacity Building
Description: In March 2009, the Fund established a new Framework Administered Account to administer external financial resources for Selected Fund Activities (the “SFA Instrument”). 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 Republic of South Sudan Macroeconomic Capacity Building Subaccount (the “Subaccount”) under the terms of the SFA Instrument.
January 13, 2012
Eligibility to Use the Fund's Facilities for Concessional Financing
Description: This paper proposes to maintain the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT)-eligibility criteria established in early 2010 and considers, based on the application of such criteria, whether updates to the eligibility list are warranted at this time. The premise remains that access to the Fund’s scarce concessional resources should be preserved for members with low income and related vulnerabilities, while keeping PRGT eligibility closely aligned with International Development Association (IDA) practices. Based on the application of the PRGT-eligibility framework, no countries are proposed for entry or graduation at this time.
January 12, 2012
Revisiting the Debt Sustainability Framework for Low-Income Countries
Description:
Introduced in 2005, the joint IMF-World Bank Debt Sustainability Framework (DSF) is a standardized framework for conducting public and external debt sustainability analysis (DSA) in low-income countries (LICs). It aims to help guide the borrowing decisions of LICs, provide guidance for creditors‘ lending and grant allocation decisions, and improve World Bank and IMF assessments and policy advice. The framework was previously reviewed in 2006 and 2009.
This paper provides a comprehensive review of the framework to assess whether it remains adequate in light of changing circumstances in LICs. It reviews the DSF‘s performance to date, presents the results of recent analytical work by IMF and World Banks staffs, and discusses a number of areas in which the framework could be improved.
2011
December 28, 2011
The Challenge of Public Pension Reform in Advanced and Emerging Economies
Description: This paper reviews past trends in public pension spending and provides projections for 27 advanced and 25 emerging economies over 2011–2050. In constructing these projections, the paper incorporates the impact of recent pension reforms and highlights the key assumptions underlying these projections and associated risks. The paper also presents reform options to address future pension spending pressures in the advanced and emerging economies. These reforms—mainly increasing retirement ages, reducing replacement rates, or increasing payroll taxes—are discussed in the context of their role in fiscal consolidation, and their implications for both equity and economic growth. In addition, the paper examines the challenge of emerging economies of expanding coverage in a fiscally sustainable manner.
December 13, 2011
Proposed Amendment to the Articles of Agreement on the Reform of the IMF Executive Board and Fourteenth General Review of Quotas—Status of Acceptances and Consents
Description: This paper 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”) as set out in the Board of Governors Resolution No. 66-2.