Publication: Economic Monitoring Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee
Loading...
Published
2016-04-19
ISSN
Date
2016-06-02
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The Palestinian economy is not growing enough to raise living standards and reduce high unemployment. The economy has witnessed a sharp deceleration in economic growth, from over 8 percent during 2007-11 to 3 percent during 2012-15. The sharp decline in growth has stifled the economy's ability to create jobs for a growing youth population. Successful reform efforts and strong economic growth helped bring the relative size of the Palestinian overall fiscal deficit down from 24.6 percent of GDP in 2008 to 13 percent in 2010. However, despite these efforts at fiscal consolidation, the deficit to GDP ratio has remained stuck in the 10 - 13 percent range since 2010 -- on the back of a large wage bill and weak revenue performance. The economy has long suffered from the restrictions1 and political instability that continue to constrain private sector activity. In addition, the decline in donor funding from 32 percent of GDP in 2008 to 6 percent in 2015 has significantly contributed to the recent economic weakening. The internal divide between the West Bank and Gaza, which has created a dual regulatory framework, has also negatively impacted economic activity and the tax base.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2016. Economic Monitoring Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24390 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Economic Monitoring Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee(Washington, DC, 2015-05-27)This report covers two distinct subjects. Chapter I of the report, as has been the norm with the World Bank Ad Hoc Liaison Committee report, focuses on the assessment of recent macroeconomic and fiscal developments and government policies in West Bank and Gaza. Chapter II presents an analysis of Gazas stark economic decline over the past 20 years and its human impact. It also presents a mix of policies that should ensure sustainable development of the Gaza strip and put an end to human suffering therein. The report also contains an annex which provides an overview of progress in meeting the pledges made for Gazas reconstruction at the October 2014 Cairo Conference. Although the connection between the chapters of this report may not be obvious as they treat a diverse set of issues facing the Palestinian economy and public finances, together they provide insights into key policy and institutional development actions and reforms, which need to be taken by the Palestinian Authority, the Government of Israel, and the donor community to reverse the recent and worrisome slowdown in economic growth, to enable effective and efficient management of public finances in order to avoid a dangerous fiscal crisis and to support inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction.Publication Economic Monitoring Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee(Washington, DC, 2015-09-30)Palestinians are getting poorer on average for the third year in a row. As evidenced in previous World Bank reports, the competitiveness of the Palestinian economy has been progressively eroding since the signing of the Oslo accords, in particular its industry and agriculture. Even though donor aid had increased government-funded services and fueled consumption-driven growth during 2007 to 2011, this growth model has proved unsustainable. Donor support has significantly declined in recent years and, in any case, aid cannot sustainably make up for inadequate private investment. Thus, growth has started to slow since 2012 and the Palestinian economy contracted in 2014 following the Gaza war. In early 2015, GDP was still lower than it was a year ago. Due to population growth, real GDP per capita has been shrinking since 2013. Unemployment remains high, particularly amongst Gaza’s youth where it exceeds 60 percent, and 25 percent of Palestinians currently live in poverty. Against the backdrop of weak economic growth, reduced donor aid, and temporary suspension of revenue payments by the Government of Israel (GoI), the Palestinian Authority’s reform efforts have not been able to prevent another year with a financing gap. The persistence of this situation could potentially lead to political and social unrest. In short, the status quo is not sustainable and downside risks of further conflict and social unrest are high.Publication Union of the Comoros : Debt Management Performance Assessment(Washington, Dc, 2011-06)This study shows that performance in terms of debt management has been weakened by recurrent political and institutional crises experienced by the country in recent years and has had a negative impact on the State's ability to both mobilize external financing and to honor its financial commitments. The accumulation of external arrears has increased by extension of the depletion sources of funding. However, the government recently initiated numerous actions contributing to a more serene climate at home with the establishment of democratic governance, developing a program of poverty reduction and regularization of arrears. This more favorable environment will soon pave the way for more substantial outside funding, especially following the accession of the Comoros to the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), and therefore requires the full attention of the authorities to implement better management of public debt. This evaluation is part of this perspective. Overall, performance in terms of debt management in the Comoros is satisfactory in all three of the following areas: (i) coordination with fiscal policy, including the integration of forecasts and actual payment of debt service in the preparation and monitoring of budget, (ii) coordination with monetary policy focused on the management of statutory advances granted by the Central Bank of Comoros (BCC), and (iii) procedures for payment of service external debt.Publication Financial Sector Assessment : Burundi(Washington, DC, 2009-12)The financial sector, dominated by the banks, is vulnerable to external shocks. The country is exposed to terms of trade shocks mainly from coffee and oil prices, which could impact banks through real sector effects. The banking system is also vulnerable to a decline in external assistance which funds nearly half of the government on which a large share of the economy depends. Burundi has not been directly affected by the international crisis, but second round effects are likely to impact growth and foreign aid prospects The Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB) is making major efforts to improve the regulation and supervision of the financial institutions under its responsibility, but it continues to face significant obstacles The microfinance sector is facing major challenges, and its supervision reflects the constraints affecting the BRB. All the on-site inspections organized by the BRB revealed serious problems and violations of prudential rules, in particular in the areas of accounting, governance, or the absence of reliable internal controls. In order to put the industry on a sound footing, it is essential to: (i) update the regulatory framework to facilitate the growth of a sound industry and introduce a specific chart of accounts; (ii) develop supervision that is capable of preserving the health of the sector, and of deposits in particular; and (iii) promote the professionalization of the industry itself, with improved human capacities, appropriate management tools, modern methodologies, and good governance.Publication Mortgage Lending in the Palestinian Territories : Fundamentals for Judges and Lawyers(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012)This document describes the training course for lawyers and judges in the Palestinian Territories, which was designed as an introduction to residential mortgage lending, and the use of mortgage collateral. These materials begin with a technical description of mortgage lending and mortgage collateral, the purposes and content of mortgage law, and the general conditions for development and expansion of residential mortgage lending activity. This is followed by a discussion of mortgage lending from the perspective of the financial institutions that originate most loans, including the process of making the loan and the economics of mortgage lending. The sections on economics of mortgage lending include the costs to the creditor, the risks faced by residential mortgage creditors, how creditors determine interest rates and other loan terms, and the effect of loan terms on the ability of citizens to borrow. The discussion of the economics of mortgage lending also focuses on recent research showing how laws affecting creditors' rights and court enforcement of creditors' rights may affect the amount and terms of mortgage lending in a country. The document includes a review and discussion of the current mortgage law in the West Bank and Gaza, focusing on formal requirements for creation of the mortgage and the procedures for enforcing mortgage liens against real property. A glossary of terms common to mortgage lending is included at the end of these materials for convenience.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Lebanon Economic Monitor, Fall 2022(Washington, DC, 2022-11)The economy continues to contract, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. Public finances improved in 2021, but only because spending collapsed faster than revenue generation. Testament to the continued atrophy of Lebanon’s economy, the Lebanese Pound continues to depreciate sharply. The sharp deterioration in the currency continues to drive surging inflation, in triple digits since July 2020, impacting the poor and vulnerable the most. An unprecedented institutional vacuum will likely further delay any agreement on crisis resolution and much needed reforms; this includes prior actions as part of the April 2022 International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff-level agreement (SLA). Divergent views among key stakeholders on how to distribute the financial losses remains the main bottleneck for reaching an agreement on a comprehensive reform agenda. Lebanon needs to urgently adopt a domestic, equitable, and comprehensive solution that is predicated on: (i) addressing upfront the balance sheet impairments, (ii) restoring liquidity, and (iii) adhering to sound global practices of bail-in solutions based on a hierarchy of creditors (starting with banks’ shareholders) that protects small depositors.Publication Digital Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13)All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.Publication World Development Report 2006(Washington, DC, 2005)This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.Publication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.