IFC Study: Obstacles to Growth and Job Creation

A new study by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, finds that much-needed jobs in developing countries can be created at a faster rate if policy makers and development institutions make it a priority to remove the key obstacles to

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Unleashing the Economic Potential of the Maghreb – the Role of Foreign Investment

Excerpts of a speech given by Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund at a conference in Mauritania in January, 2013 We meet in the wake of the great Arab Awakening, that outbreak of social consciousness in which citizens from

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Phased Time Table for Liquidity Coverage Ratio

A Basel Gift for EMEA? The Basel Committee governing body endorsed the revised Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) on 6th January 2013. The LCR is an essential component of the Basel III reforms, which are global regulatory standards on bank capital

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The Price of Pollution

How much does environmental activism affect a corporation’s bottom line? By Valerie Ross based on the research of Ion Bogdan Vasi And Brayden King When a big corporation is accused of running roughshod over the environment, it is big news.

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Investors Strongly Bullish on EMs

A December, 2012 Society Generale monthly survey covering 52 customers throughout Asia, Europe and the United States suggests that investors are strongly medium-term bullish on emerging markets. The confidence shown by around 90 per cent of the 30 real money

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Do Not Over-Heat

The IMF reports that powered by a resurgence in Asia, emerging markets, especially those of China and India are leading the world out of recession. In many emerging and developing economies, output is already above pre-crisis trends, suggesting that recovery

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UN Downgrades Economic Forecasts for 2013/14

World economic growth has weakened considerably during 2012 and is expected to remain subdued in the coming two years, according to a United Nations report in late December, which calls for policy changes to spur growth and tackle the jobs

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Suu Kyi and Hopes for a New Burma

Suu Kyi, daughter of a Burmese independence hero, has never been indifferent to the goings on in Burma. She is one of the most potent symbols of peaceful resistance to an oppressive regime. Chair for the National league for Democracy,

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Poland Welcomes Migrant Workers

The only EU member state to avoid recession during the 2008/9 economic crisis, Poland looks set to become a magnet for migrant workers. Offering some relief following the mass emigration of their own people to other European countries, Poles are

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IMF Mission Reports Positive Developments in Georgia

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission visited Tbilisi from November 27 to December 12, 2012 for discussions on the first review of the economic programme supported by a blend of a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and Stand-By Credit Facility (SCF). The

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