While many small firms closed their doors during the pandemic, surprisingly few larger firms failed. Instead, they survived by cutting costs and forgoing investment, depleting their productive capital in the process. A new report from CGD and the IDB examines the challenges faced by firms during the...

This blog post argues that higher health spending is unlikely to be sustained because of the pandemic’s adverse impact on revenues, other spending pressures, and the resulting deteriorating fiscal position of LLMICs. This suggests that countries will need to undertake policy actions to create additi...

The World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings take place this week, bringing leaders from around the world to Washington. CGD’s experts take you through what they’re paying attention to.

As developing countries recover from the pandemic, they will need to bring their public finances to a more sustainable position by streamlining public spending and strengthening the revenue base. The need to mobilize additional resources has been exacerbated by the recent economic turmoil triggered ...

The war in Ukraine is likely to have a profound impact on budget allocations, at least in developed countries. Pressures to raise military spending have intensified. Given the economic climate, other spending is likely to come under pressure.

Last week, the central bank of Chile became the 9th member of the Latin American Reserve Fund (known by its Spanish acronym, FLAR), Latin America’s regional lender of last resort. This is great news for the pursuit of financial and economic stability in the region. Here is why.

In a study of 131 IMF programs, I found that IMF conditionality in general helped to shield education and health spending from budget cuts in the short term, particularly during budget negotiations, but it did not succeed in significantly raising spending in relation to GDP over time. In this light,...