Pamphlet Series
No. 52

International Monetary Fund 1998

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ISSN 0538-8759
ISBN 1-55775-745-3
IMF, 1998

Also available in:
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Addressing Concerns for the Poor and Social Justice in Debt Relief and Adjustment Programs -- Address by Michel Camdessus



The IMF and the Poor
Fiscal Affairs Department

Contents

Preface

The Poor and the IMF's Mandate
IMF Policy Advice and the Poor
   Sound Macroeconomic Policies
   Social Safety Nets to Protect the Poor in the Short Term
   Improved Composition of Public Expenditures
IMF-Supported Programs and the Poor: The Experiences of Low-Income Countries
   Inflation
   Growth
   Composition of Expenditures
         Social expenditures
         Military expenditures
         Other aspects of expenditure composition
         Social safety nets
Changes in Poverty and Income Inequality Under IMF-Supported Programs
Addressing Poverty Concerns in Other Core IMF Activities
Summary and Conclusions
References

Box
SAF/ESAF: A Concessional Facility to Assist Poorer Countries
Tables
1. Sample of 36 SAF/ESAF Countries
2. Sample of 66 Countries with IMF-Supported Programs
3. Summary of Expenditures by Economic Classification in SAF/ESAF Countries
Figures
1. Average Annual Change in Real Per Capita Education and Health Spending Under SAF/ESAF-Supported Programs
2. Government Social Spending Under IMF-Supported Programs, 1986-96
3. Average Annual Change in Primary Education Enrollment and Infant Mortality Rates Under SAF/ESAF-Supported Programs
4. Government Spending Under SAF/ESAF-Supported Programs
5. Poverty Rates and Gini Coefficients Under SAF/ESAF-Supported Programs


The opinions expressed in the pamphlet are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund or their national authorities.
The following symbols have been used throughout this paper:

. . .      to indicate that data are not available;

--      to indicate that the figure is zero or less than half the final digit shown, or that the item does not exist;

-      between years or months (e.g., 1991-92 or January-June) to indicate the years or months covered, including the beginning and ending years or months;

/      between years (e.g., 1991/92) to indicate a crop or fiscal (financial) year.

"Billion" means a thousand million.

Minor discrepancies between constituent figures and totals are due to rounding.

The term "country," as used in this pamphlet, does not in all cases refer to a territorial entity that is a state as understood by international law and practice; the term also covers some territorial entities that are not states, but for which statistical data are maintained and provided internationally on a separate and independent basis.

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