Nicaragua and the IMF

Nicaragua
A Strengthened Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
Prepared by the Government of Nicaragua
August 2000

Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (I-PRSPs), prepared by member countries, summarize the current knowledge and assessment of a country's poverty situation, describe the existing poverty reduction strategy, identifies gaps in poverty data, diagnotics, and monitoring capacity, and lay out the process for addressing these gaps and producing a fully developed Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper in a participatory fashion. This country document is being made available on the IMF website by agreement with the member country as a service to users of the IMF website.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Executive Summary

1. The Consultation Process and Government Commitment
   1. Background on Previous Processes
   2. Current Approaches
   3. Strengthening the Process

2. Poverty Profile
   1. Basis of Analysis and Methodologies of Measurement
   2. The Situation and Evolution of Poverty
   3. The Economic Dimensions of Poverty
   4. Human Capital and Poverty
   5. Vulnerability and Marginality
   6. Poverty from the Poor's Point of View

3. Background on Policies and Strategies and Their Impact on Poverty
   1. Some Important Economic and Social Facts of the Last Thirty Years
   2. Strategies and Policies in the 1990s
   3. Obstacles to Higher Economic Growth, Macro and Microeconomic Aspects

4. Goals and Intermediate Indicators
   1. International Development Goals and the Setting of Goals and Indicators for Nicaragua
   2. Targets and Intermediate Indicators

5. Strengthened Poverty Reduction and Growth Policies
   1. Overview
   2. The Principles Underlying the Strengthened Poverty Reduction Strategy
   3. First Pillar: Broad-Based Economic Growth and Structural Reform
   4. Second Pillar: Greater and Better Investment in Human Capital
   5. Third Pillar: Better Protection for Vulnerable Groups
   6. Fourth Pillar: Good Governance and Institutional Development
   7. Cross-Cutting Themes

6. Medium Term Poverty Reduction Program
   1. General Aspects
   2. Macroeconomic Framework
   3. Structural and Other Major Reforms
   4. Better Governance and Institutional Building
   5. Programs by Strategic Components and Sectors
   6. Financing the SPRS

7. Monitoring and Evaluation of Impact
   1. What to Monitor and Evaluate
   2. Setting up the SPRS Monitoring and Evaluation System
   3. Evaluation of Poverty Evolution and Overall SPRS Impact
   4. Monitoring and Evaluation of Key SPRS Programs
   5. Schedule of Activities and Institutional Responsibilities

8. Next Steps

Tables

1. Evolution of Poverty
2. Poverty Gap and its Evolution
3. Consumption Distribution
4. Matrix of Goals, Targets and Intermediate Indicators
5. Central Government Operations
6. SPRS Public Investment Program, 2001–2003
7. Central Government Outlays and Poverty-Related Outlays
8. Allocation of HIPC Funds

Figures

1. Poverty and Extreme Poverty
2. Urban and Rural Poverty
3. Urban and Rural Extreme Poverty
4. Real Per Capita GDP
5. External Debt

Annexes

1. The Consultation Process
2. Main Structural Reforms—Past Measures
3. Matrix of Goals, Targets and Intermediate Indicators
4. The Nicaraguan Poverty Map
5. Matrix of Policy Actions

Annex Tables

1. Nicaragua: Economic and Social Indicators
2. Nicaragua: Selected Economic and Financial Indicators
   for 1999–2003
3. SPRS Portfolio of Programs (consolidated)
4. SPRS Portfolio of Programs
5. Work Plan for the SPRS