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Title The macroeconomy of Central America / edited by Robert Rennhack and Erik Offerdal
Published New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
©2004

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Description 1 online resource (xviii, 218 pages) : illustrations
Contents Fiscal Sustainability / Erik Offerdal -- What are the factors behind recent developments in debt in Central America? -- What level of public debt? -- Potential fiscal vulnerabilities and policy flexibility -- How would adverse shocks impact on the need for fiscal adjustment? -- Would fiscal rules be useful? -- The accounting framework -- Tax Reform: Trends and Possibilities / Janet G. Stotsky, Asegedech WoldeMariam -- Structure of tax system in Central America -- Domestic taxes on goods and services -- Taxes on income and profits and taxes on wealth -- Administrative issues -- Regional tax harmonization -- Looking to the future -- Public Expenditure and Governance / Ana Corbacho, Hamid R. Davoodi -- Economic growth, poverty, and inequality -- Level and composition of government spending -- Investment in education and health -- Provision of education -- Returns to investment in education -- Trends in educational attainment -- Indicators of the quality and quantity of education inputs -- Government spending on education -- Teacher salaries and teacher quality -- Student-teacher ratios and schooling time -- Provision of health services -- Health quality indicators -- Social safety nets -- Governance -- Summary and policy conclusions -- Trade Structure and Policy / Guillermo Perry, Daniel Lederman, Rodrigo Suescun -- Trade structure -- Trade policies -- Tariff and nontariff barriers -- The impact of NAFTA in Central America -- Policy reforms and economic growth
Summary Opportunities for growth and investment in Central America could well improve in the coming years, as the region's ties with the world economy grow closer. This integration, however, also presents important challenges for economic policy to ensure that growth can be sustained and can benefit the poor. To strengthen the regional dialogue on the policy challenges, the Central American Monetary Council and the IMF sponsored a conference in July 2002 in Antigua Guatemala, with the particaption of most of the ministers of finance, presidents of central banks and financial superintendents in the region. This book presents most of the papers that served as the background for the policy discussions of the conference. The main messages stress the importance of keeping fiscal policy on a sustainable path, strengthening public investment in basic infrastructure and primary health care and primary and secondary education, and managing the risks associated with partial dollarization
Notes Papers from a conference held by the Central American Monetary Council and the Western Hemisphere Department of the IMF from July 25-26, 2002, in Antigua, Guatemala
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Fiscal policy -- Central America -- Congresses
Taxation -- Central America -- Congresses
Monetary policy -- Central America -- Congresses
Macroeconomics -- Central America.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Economics -- Macroeconomics.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Economic Conditions.
Economics.
Commercial policy
Economic policy
Expenditures, Public
Fiscal policy
Monetary policy
Taxation
SUBJECT Central America -- Economic policy -- Congresses
Central America -- Appropriations and expenditures -- Congresses
Central America -- Commercial policy -- Congresses
Subject Central America
Genre/Form Conference papers and proceedings
Form Electronic book
Author Rennhack, Robert, editor.
Offerdal, Erik, editor.
Consejo Monetario Centroamericano.
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Department.
ISBN 9781463914738
1463914733
9780230379596
0230379591