This Occasional Paper discusses the policies behind the favorable economic performance of the Philippines during the 1990s, when it emerged from a long period of slow growth and economic imbalances and managed to escape the "Asian crisis" relatively unscathed. The Philippines' recent experience suggests valuable lessons for emerging economies' efforts at crisis prevention and management, as well as for the country's own policy choices. This paper describes this experience, focusing on the ele...

Central America has received growing attention as a region that is integrating successfully into the global economy. This paper examines—among other things—the macroeconomic and fiscal implications of the Free Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA-DR), noting that the agreement will provide a boost to the integration process. To maximize the benefits in terms of faster sustainable growth, poverty reduction, and social progress, however, the region also needs to press ahead with ambiti...

China's economic reforms over the past two decades have brought tremendous economic transformation, rapid growth, and closer integration into the global economy. Real income per capita has increased fivefold, raising millions of Chinese out of poverty. Despite these achievements, difficult reforms--involving the state-owned enterprises and the financial sector--must still be completed, and social pressures from rising unemployment and income inequalities need to be addressed. China's accessio...