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
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Taxation -- Central America -- Congresses
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Monetary policy -- Central America -- Congresses
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Macroeconomics -- Central America.
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BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Economics -- Macroeconomics.
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POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Economic Conditions.
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Economics.
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Commercial policy
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Economic policy
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Expenditures, Public
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Fiscal policy
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Monetary policy
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Taxation
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SUBJECT |
Central America -- Economic policy -- Congresses
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Central America -- Appropriations and expenditures -- Congresses
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Central America -- Commercial policy -- Congresses
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Subject |
Central America
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Genre/Form |
Conference papers and proceedings
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Form |
Electronic book
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Author |
Rennhack, Robert, editor.
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Offerdal, Erik, editor.
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Consejo Monetario Centroamericano.
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International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Department.
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ISBN |
9781463914738 |
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1463914733 |
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9780230379596 |
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0230379591 |
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