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Back Issues of F&D

December 2006:   'Africa: Making Its Move' explores some of the obstacles facing sub-Saharan Africa as it attempts to capitalize on changes that offer fresh opportunities for growth and poverty reduction. The lead article describes the changes and suggests how Africa can build on them to progress further. Other articles focus on the aid situation, financial sector development, trade, the business environment, and political and policy reform on the continent. 'Country Focus' examines the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, and two guest contributors look at how the international community can help the most fragile states and how oil-producing countries can manage windfall revenues. 'People in Economics' profiles the European Central Bank's first chief economist, Otmar Issing; 'Picture This' examines the global housing slowdown; and 'Back to Basics,' explains current account deficits. Another article discusses the realities of health financing.

September 2006:   The Economics of Demographics provides a detailed look at how the biggest demographic upheaval in history is affecting global development. The issue explores demographic change and the effects of population aging from a variety of angles, including pensions, health care, financial markets, and migration, and looks specifically at the impact in Europe and Asia. Picture This looks at global demographic trends, while Back to Basics explains the concept of the demographic dividend. Country Focus spotlights Kazakhstan, while People in Economics profiles Nobel prize winner Robert Mundell. IMF Economic Counsellor Raghuram Rajan argues for further change in India's style of government in his column, Straight Talk.

June 2006:   Asia Rising -- explores Asia's role in the world economy, the challenges faced from globalization, the quest for greater regional financial integration, the problem of lagging investment, and why East Asia performed so much better than Latin America. It also looks at the recovery of Japan and the rise of India and China. The economies of the ASEAN-4 come under the microscope in Country Focus. Other articles examine financial sector reform in Africa and the remaining hurdles to financial integration in the European Union. People in Economics profiles Paul Krugman, Back to Basics focuses on hedge funds, and the Straight Talk column looks at the problem of underdevelopment.

March 2006:   For policymakers around the world, finding ways to promote faster growth is a top priority. But what exactly do economists know and not know about growth? What direction should future research and policymaking take? This issue explores this topic, starting with a major World Bank study and research coming out of Harvard University that urges less reliance on simple formulas and the elusive search for best practices, and greater reliance on deeper economic analysis to identify each country's binding constraint(s) on growth. Other articles highlight IMF research on pinpointing effective levers for growth in developing countries and Africa's experience with growth accelerations. Also in the issue are pieces examining global economic imbalances, rapid credit growth in Eastern and Central Europe, and ways to boost productivity growth in Europe and Japan. In Straight Talk, Raghuram Rajan argues that if we want microfinance to become more than a fad, it has to follow the clear and unsentimental path of adding value and making money. Asian Development Bank's Haruhiko Kuroda sets out his vision for a new financial architecture in Asia. Finally, Picture This takes an in-depth look at global employment trends.

December 2005:   "Latin America: A Time of Transition" is an in-depth look at the region's economic prospects and policy issues. The lead article argues that Latin America has a fresh chance to entrench growth and break the cycle of crises. Other articles examine the political and economic choices facing the region of half a billion people during an election period, the problem of persistent poverty, and the difficulties faced by the region's indigenous peoples. Country Focus spotlights Peru, while People in Economics profiles Latin American development economist Nora Lustig. Back to Basics and Picture This jointly examine remittances. Articles also cover equity in development, spending on HIV/AIDS, Islamic finance, and the chequered history of aid.

September 2005:   Can more aid really make poverty history as aid campaigners have argued? This issue examines aid effectiveness and how to build momentum toward the Millennium Development Goals after the G8 vowed to double aid to Africa. Includes assessments of use of aid in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as viewpoints from Burkina Faso, Tanzania, and the UK. Other articles look at next steps for reform in China, and how trading partners can help each other's growth. Profile of Jagdish Bhagwati and IMF Economic Counsellor Raghuram Rajan examines global financial risk. Also a look at governance and measures to combat corruption.

June 2005:   This issue of F&D takes stock of the enormous gains that have been made on the educational front over the past century and examines what still needs to be done if education for all is to become a reality, as pledged by the global community at the United Nations Millennium Development Conference in 2000. Five years later, East Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean are close to achieving the goal of universal primary education by 2015, but sub-Saharan Africa continues to lag far behind. Other articles look at capital market development - or the lack thereof - in Latin America, and at Brazil's economic success. In Straight Talk, Raghuram Rajan takes on yet another contentious topic: how to achieve optimal debt relief for poor countries. In People in Economics, Mario Monti reflects on his time as Europe's Commissioner for Competition and discusses Europe's future. Finally, Country Focus gives a snapshot of Turkey's economy.

March 2005:   This issue dissects the fears and apprehensions that small, poor countries have when it comes to engaging in the world trading system. With the Doha Development Round at a critical juncture, developing countries must decide whether to fight to keep their preferential trade access to a few key developed country markets or engage in multilateral liberalization. Other articles look at how the IMF must change to stay relevant in the 21st century; and how improving the investment climate is key to economic growth. In The Book Review Section, Nancy Birdsall and Moises Naim debate Sebastian Mallaby's controversial book about the World Bank and its president, James Wolfensohn. Finally, People in Economics tells the story of Bodil Nyboe Andersen, Denmark's central bank governor.

December 2004:   The cover story takes a look at the proposal for a single currency for Africa. Other articles delve into a range of development issues, including possible lessons from China's success in combating poverty; the nuts and bolts of how countries can move to a floating exchange rate; possible new approaches to fiscal accounting; and the benefits of debt relief. An IMF study on services outsourcing finds that the numbers do not support the hype over job losses, while an article on corruption argues that a lack of progress in eradicating it could be due to misguided strategies. Picture This looks at the possible benefits to agriculture from the Doha round of trade talks. The Country Focus is on Brazil and People in Economics profiles Linah Mohohlo, the award-winning central bank governor of Botswana.

September 2004:   Marking the IMF's 60th anniversary, this issue explores the forces that are likely to shape the global economy over the next 25-50 years and how the IMF will prepare itself to meet the consequent challenges. It also looks at reforms the IMF will need to implement if it is to retain its political legitimacy. L. Van Houtven discusses IMF governance and the need to overhaul the Executive Board. C. Rustomjee also argues for reforming the Board to increase the representation of developing countries. Three former IMF Managing Directors share their views on improving IMF governance, strengthening IMF surveillance, and preventing crises. The issue also features a profile of Nobel Prize-winner Amartya Sen; Country Focus on Nigeria's economy; and three articles on development issues. One discusses the implications of recent initiatives calling for more foreign aid in the form of grants rather than loans. The IMF's Raghuram Rajan explores the pitfalls of relying on orthodox economic models for policymaking.

June 2004:   Focuses on the economic challenges facing the European Union (EU) following the accession of 10 new members on May 1. The main challenge, weak growth, entails tackling such deep-rooted problems as a lack of competitiveness and unemployment. This issue also looks at the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact, the single European currency, the implications of population aging for Europe, problems over migration between the established EU members and the new members, and viewpoints on the EU’s enlargement. This issue also presents some recent developments in microfinance, including a recent experimental project in which banks on wheels have brought financial services to Vietnam’s poorest citizens and the evolution of microfinance institutions that provide flexible, high-quality financial services to low-income clients on a sustainable basis. Other contributions include a Country Focus on the Indian economy, a celebration of 40 years of F&D, an inside account of the successful restructuring and privatization of Seoul Bank in 2000-02, and a profile of Brookings Senior Fellow Alice Rivlin.

March 2004:   Explores the important links between health and economic progress. The past century has been marked by rapid advances in human welfare. People in most parts of the world are healthier and are living longer. While these trends are likely to continue, hopes are fading in some regions where progress slowed or went into reverse in the 1990s, primarily as a result of the AIDS epidemic. David E. Bloom, David Canning, and Dean T. Jamison discuss the trends. The issue also examines the progress made by the new IMF watchdog—the Independent Evaluation Office—in probing the effectiveness of the IMF. Princeton's Peter Kenen, a seasoned watcher of the Bretton Woods institutions, reviews the IEO's work. Other contributions include: a Country Focus on the U.S. economy; an interview with Martin Feldstein; a look at globalization, past and present, by Alan Taylor; and the latest thinking on antimalarial drugs by Kenneth Arrow. Raghuram Rajan, the new Director of the IMF's Research Department, launches his column by examining dollarized debt and "original sin."

December 2003:   The issue focuses on the Millennium Development Goals and what it will take to achieve these globally adopted targets that center on halving the 1990 incidence of extreme poverty by the year 2015. The main article is based on a World Bank study of 18 low-income countries with relatively good policies. Separate articles look at debt sustainability, external shocks, and fiscal policy in low-income countries. Other articles examine financial systems in the CIS-7 countries and China’s integration into the global trading system. Hernando de Soto is interviewed for the People in Economics section, while Picture This focuses on the world’s forests. Kenneth Rogoff sees the past decade of global disinflation as an unsung benefit of globalization, while the Country Focus section examines the economies of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

September 2003:   Articles on moving beyond the Washington Consensus and redrafting the reform agenda by John Williamson, Guillermo Ortiz, and Trevor A. Manuel. One article from the World Bank based on the -World Development Report 2003/2004- on improving service delivery to the poor, and a joint IMF-World Bank article on what needs to be done to accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goals. Two articles on what developing countries can do to protect themselves against natural disasters. Other articles on monetary regime options for Latin America, central bank intervention in volatile foreign exchange markets, assessment of offshore financial centers, long-term fiscal challenges confronting countries, and income inequality. Profile of development economist Esther Duflo. Kenneth Rogoff's column on why the IMF needs to do more whistle-blowing and less cheerleading when countries seem to be headed for trouble. Statistics on the Middle East and North Africa. Book reviews.

June 2003:   The issue focuses on inflation and the role of institutions in development. Three articles look at disinflation, hyperinflation, and deflation. A new feature, “Country Focus,” provides a snapshot of Japan’s stagnant economy while “Back to Basics” examines the increasingly popular practice of inflation targeting. Four articles examine the part institutions play in development, compared with other factors such as geography and resource endowments. F&D interviews Professor Allan H. Meltzer to get his views on the international financial institutions, especially the IMF, three years after the release of the controversial U.S. congressional report that bore his name. In “Straight Talk,” Kenneth Rogoff, the IMF’s Economic Counsellor and Research Department Director, argues that the UN Millennium Development Goals are valuable but not as an all-encompassing framework for long-term growth.

March 2003:   The issue focuses on the Middle East and North Africa: the problems it faces, the reasons its economic performance has been disappointing over the past decade, and the measures it could take to become better integrated with the global economy. Articles explore the region’s social policies, high unemployment rate, large and inefficient public sectors, underdeveloped financial sector, exchange rate regimes, and dominant role in world energy markets. Two other articles look at the political economy of oil-exporting countries worldwide and describe how they can protect themselves against fluctuating oil prices and dwindling reserves, while a third describes how the currencies of commodity-dependent countries are affected by fickle commodity export prices. Two new features are introduced with this issue: “People in Economics,” which profiles Nobel Prize winner Vernon Smith; and “Back to Basics,” which delves into the concept of Dutch disease. In his regular column, Kenneth S. Rogoff, the IMF’s Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF’s Research Department, explains why he opposes the rigid coordination of dollar, yen, and euro monetary policy.

December 2002:   The main theme is the prevention, management, and resolution of financial crises. Articles discuss new techniques for predicting crises, such as early warning systems; describe various indicators of vulnerability, including high levels of debt and mismatches between assets and liabilities on a country's balance sheets; outline possible ways to resolve crises when they do occur; and explain the importance of granting independence to financial regulators. Other articles cover the fiscal impact of aid, the informal system for transferring funds known as hawala, prolonged use of IMF loans, the challenges facing small states, the monetary union to be formed by the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf, the role of legislatures in poverty reduction, the economic impact of armed conflict and terrorism, and the economic impact of corruption and poor governance. In his regular column, Straight Talk, Kenneth Rogoff, IMF Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF's Research Department explores the question of capital controls.

September 2002:   Main theme is trade liberalization. Point of View by former WTO director-general Peter Sutherland on the benefits of globalization. Article co-authored by IMF Deputy Managing Director Anne Krueger on why trade openness can help curb poverty. Also, articles on the Doha development agenda, the importance of increased market access for developing countries, industrial country tariffs, the implications of China's membership in WTO, and the impact of globalization on income inequality in China. Other subjects covered in the issue are capital surges in transition countries, the embattled energy sector in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the future of pension reform in Latin America, the international community's fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and the challenges of the e-banking revolution. In his regular column, Kenneth Rogoff, IMF Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF's Research Department, enters the debate on whether IMF loans create moral hazard.

June 2002:   Main theme is poverty reduction. Point of View by Professor Angus Deaton of Princeton University on reliability of poverty counts. Overview on new approaches to poverty reduction followed by articles covering recent reviews of the IMF/World Bank Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper approach and the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility, as well as an article on the preparation of Bolivia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper bringing together the views of five participants. Other articles on how financial crises affect income distribution and the poor, the need for automatic safety nets, the streamlining of IMF conditionality in new loans, the impact of external debt on growth, the issue of whether countries should be obligated to repay “odious” debt incurred by their leaders, and the challenges of expanding aid flows to poor countries with small economies. On other subjects, articles on the popular value-added-tax and the lessons from a decade of transition in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. In his regular column, Straight Talk, Kenneth Rogoff, IMF Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF’s Research Department explores the volatility of G-3 exchange rates.

March 2002:   Main theme is the shape of global integration. In addition to an overview on the challenges of globalization by IMF Deputy Managing Director Eduardo Aninat and a debate between Kevin Watkins of Oxfam and two World Bank economists on the impact of globalization on the poor, there are articles on financial globalization, financial stability in the world of global finance, the impact of G-3 exchange rate volatility on developing countries, September 11 and the U.S. payment system, the economic implications of global warming, the international develoment goal of universal primary education for all children by 2015, AIDS as part of the global development agenda, and the silent revolution of the 1980s. Other articles deal with southeastern Europe after the Kosovo Crisis and the institutions developing countries need to support their fledgling market economies. Introduction of a new feature that will appear in every issue, a column by Kenneth Rogoff, IMF Economic Counsellor and Director of the Research Department; the subject in this issue is the popularity of paper currency.

December 2001:   Eleven articles on globalization and Africa: the steps the continent is taking to meet the challenges, maximize the benefits, and minimize the risks. Other articles on IMF conditionality, human rights and the IMF, international trade and poverty reduction, oil funds, whether or not foreign investors have contributed to financial crises in emerging market countries by acting like a panic-prone herd, and a new book on John Maynard Keynes. A point of view piece by Robert Hunter Wade on the rising inequality of world income distribution.

September 2001:   Three articles on social sector reforms: social sector reform in transition countries, the truth about pension reform, and debt relief and public health spending in heavily indebted poor countries. Three articles on transition countries: state capture, intergovernmental relations in Russia, and an initiative for institutional reform in Odessa. Other articles on the links between trade, growth, and poverty; the Suez Canal crisis in 1956; lessons from California's power crisis; the global digital divide; public-private partnerships; and water management in the Middle East. A Point of View piece by Jagdish Bhagwati on rich-country protectionism.

June 2001:   Three articles on capital flows and foreign direct investment, articles by Stanley Fischer on the bipolar view of exchange rate regimes and by Ronald McKinnon on the impact of U.S. tax cuts on the world economy, and three articles on transition economies. Also an article by Paul Streeten on integration, interdependence, and globalization, and other articles on the impact of the "new economy" on the United States and other industrial countries, the role of private enterprises in reducing poverty in developing countries, macroeconomic policies and poverty reduction, IMF financing and moral hazard, and how private sector lenders have adapted to the resolution of financial crises.

March 2001:   Six articles on reform and restructuring in Asia. Other articles on the role of capital in development, the effect of globalization on tax systems, poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean, economic stabilization in the Caribbean, and transition in Poland. Three articles present two points of view on expanded monetary union in West Africa, an inside view of the IMF's dialogue with nongovernmental organizations, and a useful tool to help developing countries secure foreign finance.

December 2000:    A special focus on the issue of "How We Can Help the Poor," with articles on ways to broaden the agenda for poverty reduction; the ongoing and often hollow debate on growth versus poverty reduction; the international community's response on supporting poverty reduction; progress toward international development goals; the powerlessness of the poor; rural poverty; the distinct problems facing Africa; and issues of debt relief. Other articles deal with proposals for a new global banking standard and the role of short-term debt in recent crises.

September 2000:   Focus on the transition countries. After an overview of the progress made since transition began in the early 1990s, 11 articles on specific countries or groups of countries and on challenges faced by these countries, such as joining the European Union, building treasury systems from scratch, and conducting monetary policy. Other articles on monetary regimes and inflation targeting, macroeconomic indicators as tools for assessing financial system soundness, and the U.S. debate on funding the IMF. A special supplement covering the economy of the Czech Republic, site of the 2000 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings; and two IMF reports to be released this fall, World Economic Outlook, and International Capital Markets Report.

June 2000:   Four articles on the battle against corruption, and four articles on trade and developing countries. Other articles on prospects for emerging markets, European labor markets and EMU, the changing world of banking, agricultural development banks, and the IMF's template for reporting on international reserves.

March 2000:   An article by the IMF's Historian on Michel Camdessus's tenure as Managing Director of the IMF; nine articles on economic reform and recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean since the financial crises of the late 1990s, including four articles by finance ministers and central bank governors of Latin American countries; other articles on the sustainability of the U.S. current account deficit, the rise and fall of Albania's pyramid schemes, and the importance of orderly and effective insolvency procedures.

December 1999:   Nine articles discussing issues for the new millennium, including an interview of distinguished economist John Kenneth Galbraith and articles on trade, liberalization, the changing development landscape, the importance of human development in development strategies, decentralization of governance, and governance in the digital economy. Other articles focus on issues in financial markets, such as the changing nature of risk and integrated financial supervision, and tobacco control.

September 1999:   The reform of the international financial architecture--building transparency, developing financial standards, liberalizing the capital account, and adapting the international financial institutions--is the subject of five articles in this issue. Other articles deal with issues in the international monetary system, problems of transition, commodity prices, and the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis.

June 1999:   Seven articles discussing key issues in transition economies, including lessons of the Russian crisis (by former Russian Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar), inflation, growth, privatization, and the changing role of government. Other articles focus on the Asian crisis, the challenges of financial globalization for developing and transition countries, the predictability of currency and banking crises, the impact of the euro on Latin America, and the brain drain from developing to developed countries.

March 1999:   Challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa and the region's future prospects are the subject of four articles. In addition, articles on monetary policy in the euro area, deposit insurance, capital flows, corporate restructuring in Asia, and contingent government liabilities.

December 1998:   December 1998 Discusses the far-reaching implications of European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Other topics include capital account liberalization; dealing with financial crisis; monetary policy and currency boards; and the evolution of IMF conditionality.

September 1998:   Economic Policy and Equity, The Asian Crisis, Transition Countries--Articles by Vito Tanzi; Sanjeev Gupta, Benedict Clements, and Erwin Tiongson; IMF Area Department Directors; Patrick Lenain; Julian Exeter and Steven Fries; Dale Gray; Christoph B. Rosenberg and Tapio O. Saavalainen; James M. Boughton; Jan Aart Scholte; Philip Gerson; and IMF Staff

June 1998:   The Asian crisis and its implications for the global economy--articles by Stanley Fischer, Guillermo Ortiz, John Lipsky, and Manuel Guitián. Other articles discuss Asia's aging societies, infrastructure development in Asia, private investment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the impact of bribery in international commerce, and the prospective role of the euro as an international currency.

March 1998:   The problem of corruption worldwide; AIDS--economic implications, role of governments, priorities in prevention; civil liberties, democracy, and the performance of government projects; two articles on inflation; biodiversity in agricultural development; distance education; and currency crises and the role of monetary policy.

December 1997:   Aid spurs growth--in a sound policy environment; capital flow sustainability and speculative currency attacks; sovereign debt: managing the risks; IMF monetary model; are international labor standards needed to prevent social dumping?; explaining the dividend yield in the U.S.; job uncertainty, unemployment, and inflation in the U.S.; private participation in infrastructure; new initiative to promote clean coal; developing rural financial markets; Egypt: poised for sustained growth?; and can public pension reform increase saving?

September 1997:   Hong Kong, China in transition; maturation of the East Asian miracle; Japanese foreign direct investment and regional trade; reforming legal systems in developing and transition countries; the state in a changing world; how can states foster markets?; improving the state's institutional capability; financial sector reforms in Morocco and Tunisia; experience under the IMF's ESAF; decentralizing government; efficient public sector downsizing; the Real plan, poverty, and income distribution in Brazil; and impact of EMU on European securities markets

June 1997:   How can sub-Saharan Africa attract more private capital inflows?; financial liberalization in Africa and Asia; tackling the rural energy problem in developing countries; Japan's economy needs structural change; bias in the U.S. consumer price index; growth and the environment; the reform of wholesale payment systems; creditors' crucial role in corporate governance; interest rates: approach to liberalization; developing countries get more private investment, less aid; improving India's saving performance; Islamic financial systems; and education and health care in the Caribbean.

March 1997:   Causes of capital inflows and policy responses to them; money laundering, rating the raters of country creditworthiness; Stanley Fischer on financial system soundness; what happened to the peace dividend?; How Indochina's economies took off; statistical discrepancies in the world current account; international joint ventures in developing countries; how tax systems treat men and women differently; private capital in water and sanitation, economic growth and income inequality; the banking crises in the Baltics; and economic trends in the developing world.

December 1996:   The new environmentalism; risk management in financial and foreign exchange markets; central banks and price stability; economic forecasting; sub-Saharan Africa’s marginalization in world trade; private sector development in the Visegrad countries; the urban poor in developing countries.

September 1996:   Government reform. EU--Mediterranean strategy; agricultural water pollution. Transition economies--global integration; education and health care. Also, monetary policy in EMU; warehouse receipts; social assistance in Germany; pension reform in Costa Rica; disparities in global integration.

June 1996:   Energy policy; the Tobin tax; the impact of adjustment on growth; pension debt; revenue decline in the former Soviet republics; the IMF’s data standards; widening income gap between rich and poor countries; the economic importance of collateral; stock market development and corporate finance; urbanization.

March 1996:   March 1996 Banking and monetary reform; globalization and the developing countries; exchange rate regimes and inflation; growth and financial stability in the Middle East and North Africa; and convergence of economic conditions in India’s states.

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