Policy Papers
2012
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.
December 8, 2011
Extension of the Period for Consent to Increase Quotas Under the Fourteenth General Review of Quotas, the 2008 Reform of Quota and Voice, and the Eleventh General Review of Quotas
Description: This paper proposes a six-month extension of the period for consent to increase quotas under the Fourteenth General Review of Quotas. The current deadline is due to expire on December 31, 2011; however, Resolution No. 66-2 provides that the Executive Board may extend the period for consent as it may determine. An extension under the Board of Governor’s Resolution No. 66-2 will also extend the periods of consent for quota increases under the 2008 Reform of Quota and Voice (Resolution No. 63-2) and the Eleventh General Review of Quotas (Resolution No. 53-2).
December 8, 2011
Classification of Low-Income Countries for the Purpose of Debt Limits in Fund-Supported Programs - 2011 Update
Description: This short paper informs the Executive Board of staff’s assessment of macroeconomic and public financial management capacity (henceforth “capacity”) in PRGT-eligible countries (henceforth “low-income countries”) with Fund-supported programs for the purpose of setting debt limits. Capacity plays an important role in the framework for debt limits. This framework includes a menu of options for concessionality requirements to reflect the diversity of situations in low-income countries (LICs). Eligibility for a particular option is related to an assessment of debt vulnerabilities and capacity.
December 5, 2011
The Fund's Income Position for FY 2012--Midyear Review
Description: This paper updates the outlook for the Fund’s income position for FY 2012. The overall outlook is broadly unchanged, with the FY 2012 net operational income now projected at SDR 500 million compared with the projection of SDR 482 million in April 2011. This primarily reflects additional lending activity, which is partially offset by lower implicit returns on the Fund’s interest-free resources owing to the prevailing interest rate environment.1 The actual outcome is subject to considerable uncertainty in light of conditions in the global economy, which could affect the timing and amounts of disbursements under current and potential new arrangements and the performance of the Investment Account (IA).