Pension reform is high on the policy agenda of many advanced and emerging market economies. In advanced economies the challenge is generally to contain future increases in public pension spending as the population ages. In emerging market economies, the challenges are often different. Where pension coverage is extensive, the issues are similar to those in advanced economies. Where pension coverage is low, the key challenge will be to expand coverage in a fiscally sustainable manner. This volu...

A number of countries have reversed pension reforms by redirecting contributions from private sector, defined contribution schemes back to public sector, pay as you go schemes. This has been motivated by the desire to improve headline fiscal indicators, and raises important issues regarding how pension reforms and reversals should be incorporated into the fiscal accounts and assessments of fiscal policy. The SDN addresses these issues and proposes how pension reforms can best be incorporat...

In this short, fiercely argued book, David Marsh explains how five years of continuous crisis management not only have failed to resolve the EurozoneÆs problems but have actually made things worse. While austerity-wracked southern states descend into misery and resentment, creditor countriesùled by Germanyùfear that they will be forced to subsidize their weaker brethren indefinitely. Constructive dialogue has collapsed as European decision making descends into terrified paralysis, and the ...

What are fiscal policy rules? What are the principal benefits and drawbacks associated with various fiscal rules, particularly compared with alternative approaches to fiscal adjustment? Can fiscal rules contribute to long-run sustainability and welfare without sacrificing short-run stabilization? If so, what characteristics of fiscal rules make this contribution most effective? And in what circumstances and contexts, if any should the IMF encourage its member countries to adopt fiscal rules? ...

There is a wide spread belief that it was the private banking sector that caused the current economic crisis. "Greedy" private bankers destabilized the economy, as socialists put it. At the same time, there are many conspiracy theories about central banks around. According to these theories, central banks are controlled by "dark" forces, and these forces caused the crisis of 2008.As a result, most people without a background in economics are very confused. However reality is much s...

IMF-supported adjustment programs aim to restore economic growth, while bringing about a sustainable balance of payments position. Achievement of these goals requires coordinated use of a variety of policy meansures, including monetary and fiscal, exchange rate, external debt management, and structural policies, which affect capacity use and productive potential. This book, edited by Jeffrey M. Davis, provides an introductory review of some of the policy issues in each of these areas.

From Jens Nordvig--named the #1 currency strategist in the 2013 Institutional Investor surveyThe euro started out with great promise, but it has seen major problems in the last few years. What will happen if Germany decides to drop the euro? Greece? Italy? Spain? How will your investments be affected?The financial crisis of 2007–2008 may have had its epicenter in the United States, but it exposed fault lines inherent in the euro. Some have given way, result...

This volume, edited by Robert C. Effros, surveys developments at international financial institutions, regional developments affecting central banks, the progress of the European Union countries toward monetary union and a unified banking market, the effect of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organization on banking services, and the implications of the North American Free Trade Agreement for central banks. Other topics discussed include banking regulation and re...

Expert help for polishing your English skills for the workplaceYou are on an upward career track, but English still may give you a bit of trouble. Do not let language get in your way to success! Perfect Phrases ESL: Advancing Your Career helps you say the right words at the right time in any situation. Author and ESL specialist Natalie Gast introduces you to scenarios, business slang, and other linguistic issues that typical language texts don't go into--f...

Basic Financial Skills for the Public Sector is one of a series of books entitled “Essential Skills for the Public Sector”. It aims to assist the reader to understand a variety of basic financial techniques ranging from fractions and percentages, using statistics and spreadsheets, to project appraisal techniques. All the areas covered are essential for public sector managers how need to show value for money and continuing improvement in the provision of public services. It is an ideal book...

This book provides an overview of private real estate markets and investments. The 14 chapters are divided into three sections for conventional and alternative real estate investments and regulatory issues. Conventional investable real assets examined are retail spaces, apartments, offices, and industrial facilities owned by corporate entities. Alternative real estate assets are uniquely and extensively addressed. These include healthcare, both for facilities and the pricing to make it an ...

Are the three Baltic countries, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, ready for accession to the European Union? Have their economies overcome the problems of transition? The answers to these questions and their implications for policy are provided in this collection of analyses. Rather than a country-by-country description, the volume provides a cross-country perspective of developments from 1994 through mid-1997. The seven sections of this paper discuss recent macroeconomic and structural poli...