IMF will worry about Cairo's debt burden later

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Public Debt ◽  
Government Expenditure ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Indirect Taxation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Debt Burden ◽  
The Government ◽  
Domestic Interest Rate

Significance The review will take into account the effects of measures taken thus far, in particular the flotation of the Egyptian pound, and will assess the government’s budget for the 2017-18 (July-June) fiscal year. Impacts The government will struggle to reduce the deficit because of the scale of public debt and the record high domestic interest rate. Government expenditure on wages will rise at a much lower rate than inflation. The public will also face further rises in indirect taxation, revenue from which is projected to rise by 40%. The IMF is unlikely to raise any serious objections to the government’s plans.

Pressures on embattled Zambian government will grow

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
World Bank ◽  
Public Debt ◽  
External Debt ◽  
The United States ◽  
Bank Loans ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Currency Depreciation ◽  
Debt Burden ◽  
The Government

Subject Zambian debt crises. Significance Both the IMF and World Bank have cut their growth projections for Zambia, compounding concerns about currency depreciation, inflation and escalating external debt. Amid public anger at worsening corruption, the government and President Edgar Lungu are struggling to contain mounting dissent. Impacts Lusaka’s ties to China, and criticism from the United States, could undermine future access to concessional IMF and World Bank loans. An opposition alliance will struggle to stay united and withstand authoritarian pressures from the government in advance of the 2021 polls. Growth will be slower than expected this year and next, and currency depreciation will continue to exacerbate the public debt burden.

HDZ leader could supplant Croatia's non-party premier

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Debt ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reform Agenda ◽  
The Public ◽  
Nationalist Party ◽  
Ethnic Tensions ◽  
The Government ◽  
Uncertain Outcomes

Significance The package could be the government's swan song. One coalition party, the centre-right Bridge (Croatian: Most) of Independent Lists, strongly supported a reform agenda from the beginning, but Croatia's main nationalist party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), did not. This, in addition to key appointments, has become a major point of dispute between them, blocking decision-making. HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko has been frustrated in his ambition to control the government and especially the security apparatus. Impacts Political instability could cause further political and ethnic tensions, with uncertain outcomes. Persistent deadlock will worsen Croatia's parlous economic and social situation. Instability could frustrate consolidating Croatia's exit from its six-year recession in 2015 and reducing the public debt from 87% of GDP.

scholarly journals Pakistan: making a “COVID budget” in a struggling economy

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marium Ashfaq ◽  
Mohsin Bashir
Keyword(s):  
Fiscal Policy ◽  
Government Expenditure ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Military

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the fiscal measures undertaken by the Pakistani government to counter the recessionary pressures of the coronavirus pandemic. The authors analyse the economic, social and political factors that have shaped the government's fiscal policy response to this economic shock.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyse the federal and provincial budget documents for the fiscal year 2020–21 to study the fiscal response of the government. The authors review recent research articles and news pieces to examine the determinants of these budgetary measures.FindingsThe government adopted expansionary fiscal policy measures such as reduced taxation and increased government expenditure to counter the recessionary pressures of the pandemic. These measures, however, were largely constrained by macroeconomic issues of high fiscal debt, slow economic growth and low fiscal space and political influences from the military and religious groups.Research limitations/implicationsThe coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing issue which may pose more threats and elicit more policy responses as it evolves. This research may be extended as the pandemic progresses, to include further policy responses.Originality/valueThis research provides insight into the unique problems faced by the Pakistani government during the pandemic, and how it steers the economy despite these limitations.

scholarly journals A Critical Review of the Dynamics of Government Debt Servicing in Zimbabwe

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-36
Author(s):  
Talknice Saungweme ◽  
Nicholas M. Odhiambo
Keyword(s):  
Public Debt ◽  
Government Debt ◽  
Debt Service ◽  
Productive Capacity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Debt Burden ◽  
Review Period ◽  
High Government ◽  
Foreign Loans ◽  
The Government

Abstract This paper provides a conceptual analysis of government debt servicing in Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2015. The mounting debt burden arising largely from nonconcessionary foreign loans since the 1980s, and the economic hardships that characterise the country beginning the late 1990s, caused dreadful public debt servicing challenges. Thus, the paper discusses the public debt service reforms and policies; trends; and problems in Zimbabwe over the review period. In the paper, it was identified that between 1983 and 1997, the government’s debt servicing costs were growing exponentially, resulting in liquidity challenges. However, between 1998 and 2015, the country had plunged into public debt service overhang, with public debt servicing liabilities exceeding the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Notwithstanding the various public debt servicing reforms to boost domestic revenues, Zimbabwe, as many other developing countries, still faces a number of debt servicing problems. Among others, these include: high government debt, low industrial and export competitiveness, narrow revenue base and subdued investor confidence. The paper recommends the government of Zimbabwe to undertake the following measures, among others, aimed at either boosting or expanding the revenue base: (i) improving tax enforcements; (ii) mobilising the informal sector; and (iii) expanding the productive capacity of public entities.

Fiscal risks are low but rising in Turkey

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fiscal Policy ◽  
Public Debt ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Current Account Deficit ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
Fiscal Sustainability ◽  
Budget Deficits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government

Subject Turkey's fiscal sustainability. Significance By keeping fiscal deficits low, the government has steadily reduced the public debt to about 33% of GDP. However, fiscal policy is now shoring up growth. There is also concern about the lack of further public financial reform, insufficient transparency and contingent liabilities. Impacts Wider budget deficits may not affect growth notably, given the weak global economy and low private investment and investor confidence. Turkey will have one of Europe's lowest public-debt levels, but investors may need to pay more attention to public finances. Fiscal policy could join more urgent worries about politics, the current-account deficit, private-sector debt and monetary policy.

India will stick to prudence amid fiscal crisis

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Public Debt ◽  
Fiscal Crisis ◽  
Economic Recovery ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Medium Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
The Government ◽  
Market Liberalisation

Significance Meanwhile, the government is under pressure to raise expenditure to help ease the pandemic-related economic crisis. Delhi is reluctant to borrow more, as an increase in public debt could hurt its sovereign rating. Impacts India will struggle to avoid a heavy GDP contraction this fiscal year. In the medium term, some states may try to reclaim the powers of taxation they surrendered through the Goods and Services Tax. The government will count on market liberalisation to spur post-pandemic economic recovery.

A benchmarking study of Indian seaports

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-102
Author(s):  
Sajeev Abraham George ◽  
Anurag C. Tumma
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Port Authorities ◽  
Financial Performance Measures ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to benchmark the operational and financial performances of the major Indian seaports to help derive useful insights to improve their performance. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology has been used with the help of data collected on the 13 major seaports of India. The first stage of the DEA captured the operational efficiencies, while the second stage the financial performance. Findings A window analysis over a period of three years revealed that no port was able to score an overall average efficiency of 100 per cent. The study identified the better performing units among their peers in both the stages. The contrasting results of the study with the traditional operational and financial performance measures used by the ports helped to derive useful insights. Research limitations/implications The data used in the study were majorly limited to the available sources in the public domain. Also, the study was limited to the major seaports which are under the Government of India and no comparisons were carried out with other local or international ports. Practical implications There is a need to prioritize investments and improvement efforts where they are most needed, instead of following a generalized approach. Once the benchmark ports are identified, the port authorities and other relevant stakeholders should work in detail on the factors causing inefficiencies, for possible improvements in performance. Originality/value This paper carried out a two-stage DEA that helped to derive useful insights on operational efficiency and financial performance of the India seaports. A combination of the financial and operational parameters, along with a comparison of the DEA results with the traditional measures, provided a different perspective on the Indian seaport performance. Considering the scarcity of research papers reported in the literature on DEA-based benchmarking studies of seaports in the Indian context, it has the potential to attract future research in this field.

The 2016 Police and Crime Commissioner elections

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Joyce
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the 2016 elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and to compare them with those that took place in 2012. It seeks to evaluate the background of the candidates who stood for office in 2016, the policies that they put forward, the results of the contests and the implications of the 2016 experience for future PCC elections. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based around several key themes – the profile of candidates who stood for election, preparations conducted prior to the contests taking place, the election campaign and issues raised during the contests, the results and the profile of elected candidates. The paper is based upon documentary research, making particular use of primary source material. Findings The research establishes that affiliation to a political party became the main route for successful candidates in 2016 and that local issues related to low-level criminality will dominate the future policing agenda. It establishes that although turnout was higher than in 2012, it remains low and that further consideration needs to be devoted to initiatives to address this for future PCC election contests. Research limitations/implications The research focusses on the 2016 elections and identifies a number of key issues that emerged during the campaign affecting the conduct of the contests which have a bearing on future PCC elections. It treats these elections as a bespoke topic and does not seek to place them within the broader context of the development of the office of PCC. Practical implications The research suggests that in order to boost voter participation in future PCC election contests, PCCs need to consider further means to advertise the importance of the role they perform and that the government should play a larger financial role in funding publicity for these elections and consider changing the method of election. Social implications The rationale for introducing PCCs was to empower the public in each police force area. However, issues that include the enhanced importance of political affiliation as a criteria for election in 2016 and the social unrepresentative nature of those who stood for election and those who secured election to this office in these contests coupled with shortcomings related to public awareness of both the role of PCCs and the timing of election contests threaten to undermine this objective. Originality/value The extensive use of primary source material ensures that the subject matter is original and its interpretation is informed by an academic perspective.

Public service motivation and organizational performance in Chinese provincial governments

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 770-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunkui Zhu ◽  
Chen Wu
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Provincial Government ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Hunan Province ◽  
Government Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government

Purpose This paper aims to examine different hypotheses concerning the effects of public service motivation (PSM) and other attitudinal or institutional dimensions on organizational performance (OP). Specifically, based on the experience of Chinese provincial governments, this study provides new evidence about how PSM may affect OP. Design/methodology/approach This study collected data from a survey of different provincial government departments in Sichuan Province, Hubei Province, Hunan Province and Chongqing Municipality in 2011. Using data from 761 respondents, Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis were used to explore the relationships between related factors. Findings PSM, job satisfaction, affective commitment and job involvement have statistically significant effects on OP, and these results are consistent with the findings of previous researches that PSM positively affected OP at a significant level. The results suggest that, if civil servants have a strong PSM, the performance of their organizations will be high. Research limitations/implications Future research should look for additional factors that affect OP, comparing employees’ perceptions of an organization’s performance with objective data to determine whether, and to what degree, subjective measures of performance are valid measures of OP in the public sector. Practical implications In the process of improving government performance, it is significant to give attention to the government employees’ mentality. The government training and promotion system should encourage civil servants to care about the public interest. A more flattened organization should be considered as part of the next steps in government reform, and more opportunities should be provided to involve more government employees in policy making. Originality/value This study helps to clarify the effects of individual factors of PSM on OP in China in a tightly controlled bureaucratic environment, where related data are hardly accessible.

scholarly journals The Public Debt of Ukraine and the Budget Expenditure for Its Service

2018 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. H. Bondaruk ◽  
O. S. Bondaruk ◽  
N. Yu. Melnychuk
Keyword(s):  
Public Debt ◽  
Debt Management ◽  
Public Budget ◽  
Sharp Drop ◽  
The Public ◽  
Debt Burden ◽  
Debt Dynamics ◽  
External Sources ◽  
Public Debt Management ◽  
Made In

the public debt is deepened, the visions of the public debt as a phenomenon burdening the national economy, found in various schools of economics, are reviewed. It is demonstrated that the high internal and external dept in parallel with the respectively growing expenditure for its service is a pressing problem for Ukraine, calling for an urgent solution. This raises the need for seeking ways to improve the public debt management mechanisms. The article’s objective is to deepen the theoretical and methodological framework for assessment of the public debt in Ukraine and the budget expenditures for its service. It is demonstrated that the public debt in Ukraine results from the public budget deficit, high sovereign borrowing from internal and external sources. The econometric assessment of the time series on budget expenditures for debt service and repayment in Ukraine is given. The analysis of the public debt dynamics in Ukraine shows that not only the increasing volume of public debt and State-guarantee debt, but also the increasing budget expenditures on its service and repayment are dangerous. The high deficit of public budget is persisting, which growth is caused, inter alia, by the payment commitments. The expenditures on service and repayment of public debt constitute a large share in the public budget expenditures. Forecasting calculations made in the article demonstrate the upward tendency in the public budget expenditures on repayment and service of the public debt of Ukraine, thus signaling the growing threats to the budget security of Ukraine. The main factors for the rapidly increased debt burden in Ukraine over the latest years are identified: the considerable devaluation of domestic currency (Hryvnya), sharp drop in GDP, the shrinking internal consumer demand, etc.    It is demonstrated that the risk of the increasing payments for service of public debt is an essential and chronic factor generating problems in public finances and affecting the budget security of Ukraine.  

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