Publication:
Mauritius : The New Economic Agenda and Fiscal Sustainability

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (7.58 MB)
199 downloads
English Text (292.86 KB)
75 downloads
Published
2004-06-30
ISSN
Date
2013-09-05
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The new Government of Mauritius drafted the New Economic Agenda (NEA), a five-year reform framework to develop Mauritius into a high-income, high-tech service and knowledge economy. First, the Agenda focuses on improving the environment for the private sector, particularly given the existing challenges to Mauritius' traditional export markets. Second, the Agenda outlines heavy investments in the social sectors in order to improve skills of the working population, better meet the needs of an aging population, and more effectively help the most marginalized in society. Third, the NEA emphasizes steps to alleviate the multiple pressures on Mauritius' fragile environment, stemming from the hotel and textile industry but also from deficient sewerage in private housing. In the Agenda, the Government commits to reducing the overall fiscal deficit to about 3 percent of GDP by the end of its mandate in 2005/6. Further, the program outlines measures to improve budget management by prioritizing expenditures to meet NEA objectives and to gradually eliminate quasi-fiscal activities. The government is committed to undertake the proposed transformation of its public expenditures without endangering the stability of the public sector and the economy.
Link to Data Set
Citation
World Bank. 2004. Mauritius : The New Economic Agenda and Fiscal Sustainability. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15688 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Malawi - Public Expenditures : Issues and Options
    (Washington, DC, 2001-09) World Bank
    This report argues that public expenditure outcomes in Malawi, can be improved in the next few years, provided 1) additional spending on priority items is balanced by expenditure cut-backs in low priority areas, so that public expenditures remain within fiscal parameters to restore macroeconomic stability; 2) incentives for improving the budget process are strengthened; 3) intra-sectoral allocations in key sectors, i.e., education, health, agriculture, and roads, focus on key public goods, and, measures to improve spending are enforced; and, 4) areas such as pensions, and parastatals are restructured, so as to reduce future fiscal burden. Balancing additional spending on priority areas within a macroeconomic framework, will require expenditure restructuring, by limiting non-essential spending, to reduce the country's overall deficit, achieve its macro targets, and attain the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief finance, which should allow additional spending on priority items. Recommendations suggest a shift in expenditures towards social sectors, HIV/AIDS control and prevention, roads management improvement, and, governance to strengthen the budgetary process. And, savings could be generated by reducing ad-hoc expenditures (e.g., maize price interventions), reducing State Officials allocations (e.g., residences, foreign travel, etc.), and, curbing fraud and corruption.
  • Publication
    Zambia - Public Expenditure Review : Public Expenditure, Growth and Poverty - A Synthesis
    (Washington, DC, 2001-12) World Bank
    At the heart of the growth problem, the persistence of poverty, and issues of policy reform in Zambia is the public sector reform program. The best practice in public sector reform identifies three areas in which governments can improve their performance and their impact on the economy and poor: 1) macroeconomic discipline (the satabilization problem); 2) strategic priority setting (the allocation problem); and 3) efficient public-service delivery (the execution problem). Zambia's problem appears to be in all three areas. In particular, the aggregate performance, allocation, and execution of the budget are vital to the success of Zambia's public sector reform program. All three areas, particularly the allocation and execution issues, as they apply to public expenditure are the subject matter of the present public expenditure review (PER).
  • Publication
    Mauritius : Financial Sector Assessment
    (Washington, DC, 2003-08) World Bank
    This Financial Sector Assessment (FSA) is the joint IMF-World Bank work, based on the context of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP), intended to identify strengths, and vulnerabilities, as well as development needs of the financial sector. The report thus summarizes main findings, and policy recommendations as follows. Mauritius has been remarkably successful in achieving rapid growth, and substantial diversification of a formerly mono-agricultural economy. However, maintaining the past high rates of growth, and employment will pose a major challenge. The trade preferences on which two of the pillars of the economy are founded are being eroded, forcing the sugar and textile industries, to significantly improve their competitiveness, or lose market share to larger, lower-cost producers. In partnership with the private sector, the government is taking decisive measures to build a knowledge economy based on higher value-added services, notably in information and communication technologies. They have also adopted programs to modernize, and improve competitiveness in the sugar and textile industries, and, are investing heavily in education, in order to realign the labor force with the requirements of the new engines of growth. Mauritius has a relatively large and well-developed domestic financial system, and a growing offshore sector, however, the country needs to further diversify its financial sector, namely within the banking system. This includes continuing the strengthening of banking supervision, fostering the development of alternatives to bank lending to reduce portfolio concentrations, and increase competition. Additionally, there is the need to encourage sound international risk diversification, by strengthening provisioning levels, so as to enhance the resilience of the system to a downturn in economic activity, and, by reducing the government's implicit contingent liability in the banking system.
  • Publication
    Latvia - From Exuberance to Prudence : A Public Expenditure Review of Government Administration and the Social Sectors - Overview and Summary
    (World Bank, 2010-09-27) World Bank
    This public expenditure review (PER) was conducted at the request of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Latvia. The objective of the PER is to identify potential areas of further budget savings in public administration and the social sectors that could help restore fiscal balance, speed Latvia's recovery from the current crisis, and help it to meet the Maastricht Criteria by 2012 so it can adopt the Euro in 2014. The remainder of this volume is structured in the following way. Section two recounts the events and circumstances that set the Government's fiscal stance in the years prior to the crisis. Section three summarizes the principal emergency measures the Government took to cope during 2008 and 2009 as the crisis broke and led to Latvia's severe economic contraction. The purpose of these sections which draw liberally from material prepared by the financial authorities, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central (EC) is to make the case for further fiscal adjustment plain. The report then summarizes the main messages and highlights the most important suggestions made in each of the longer, more detailed chapters of volume two of the review. Each section is followed by a matrix of the options presented for the Government to take into consideration. Given the important role that municipalities and republican cities play in the delivery of social services, the chapter three of volume two provides an in depth examination of local government finances and spending. Local authorities (municipalities and republican cities) play such a prominent role in the delivery of public services particularly social services that a close look at the character of their spending is critical.
  • Publication
    United Republic of Tanzania - Public Expenditure Review FY02 : Report on Fiscal Developments and Public Expenditure Management Issues
    (Washington, DC, 2002-05) World Bank
    This Public Expenditure Review (PER) examines the overall fiscal discipline, which after targeting, and achieving recurrent surpluses by FY99, the targets for FY01 were set to provide scope for financing of priority sector activities under the Poverty Reduction Strategy, and accommodate increased foreign inflows in the form of program grants. However, recurrent deficits in FY01, and, the target for FY02, delivered a recurrent deficit of 2.5 percent of GDP. Nonetheless, these deficits are within the sustainability thresholds indicated by recent analyses of fiscal, and debt sustainability, and remain compatible with continued macroeconomic stability. The report also looks at the introduction of cash flow planning, and the innovation introduced with the public finance act, to then analyze the government resources, and expenditures, which overall, expenditures on the key priority areas increased, exceeding the additional debt relief available through the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The report subsequently focuses on two main sources of fiscal risks, namely, on public enterprise debts and retrenchment costs associated with privatization; and, on extra-budgetary commitments related to procurement. Containment of fiscal risks, and further work should be extended to quantify, and validate parastatal debts covering other resources of fiscal risks, including commitments to privatization. Recommendations include a review of the existing tracking systems to identify information gaps, and recommend how systems can be streamlined, how information flows can be improved, and to clarify roles, and responsibilities of key institutions in this process. Moreover, attention should be paid to both financial reporting, and service delivery, including ways of integrating the two, in addition to identifying links to the poverty monitoring process.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Comoros Country Climate and Development Report
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-18) World Bank Group
    The Union of the Comoros (The Comoros) has significant vulnerability to climate change-related risks but has considerable opportunities to strengthen preparedness and resilience against these challenges. According to the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index, the Comoros is the 29th-most vulnerable country to climate change and the 163rd most ready to adapt (out of 191). The Comoros archipelago is exposed to many natural hazards that adversely affect the country’s natural capital, people, and physical infrastructure. In 2014, the economic cost of climate-related disasters was estimated at 5.7 million dollars annually, equivalent to 9.2 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Between 2018 and 2023, as many as 11 tropical depressions or cyclones impacted the country, with Cyclone Kenneth causing the greatest damage, equivalent to 14 percent of GDP, resulting in total economic growth falling from 3.6 percent in 2018 to 1.9 percent in 2019. More than 345,000 people (40 percent of the population) were affected by the cyclone, with 185,000 people experiencing severe impacts and 12,000 people displaced. However, there is an opportunity for the country to grow more robust and shock-responsive, and to establish pre-positioned funding mechanisms to enhance future crisis response efforts. For the Comoros, adaptation and climate-resilient development are the key climate change focus areas, with the country projected to face 836 million dollars 2050 in additional costs due to climate-related impacts. Current plans to adapt to the impacts of climate change in the Comoros include efforts to improve water management, strengthen coastal protection, and develop climate-smart agriculture practices. Given the country’s reliance on its natural resource base for economic growth and mobility, protection of these resources from climate change will be essential for promoting resilient growth and development. In addition to growing the adaptive capacity of the country’s natural resource sectors, strategic economic diversification will be important to help minimize future climate impacts, and development activities will need to be undertaken in such a way as to attract low-carbon co-benefits. The Union of the Comoros is committed to addressing climate change through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and national priorities. The country’s NDC (which was revised in 2021 for a ten-year horizon) sets ambitious targets, with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 23 percent by 2030. The country also plans to significantly increase the share of renewable energy in its energy portfolio, reaching 33 MW by 2030. This will not only promote low-carbon development but also reduce the country’s dependency on imported oil and coal, which currently make up 95 percent of the energy mix. Additionally, the Comoros has declared its intention to increase CO2 removals by 47 percent by 2030, compared to BAU.
  • Publication
    Mongolia Country Climate and Development Report
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-22) World Bank Group
    Mongolia’s development prospects are uniquely challenged by both the impacts of climate change and the global shift toward a low-carbon economy. The country’s efforts toward decarbonization pose significant challenges given the structurally high-emission intensity of its economy. While challenging, climate action also presents Mongolia with opportunities to achieve important development benefits. The effects of climate risks and the shift away from coal will have diverse impacts across different regions, communities, and socioeconomic levels. The report assesses the critical interconnections between Mongolia’s development ambitions and climate change action and identifies ways to transition to a more economically diversified, inclusive, and resilient development path. It highlights key climate and transition risks affecting Mongolia’s future development and presents a pathway to enhance climate mitigation and adaptation. The report also makes a case for strengthening policies to enhance resilience to climate change and ensure a just transition, particularly for the most vulnerable. The report is structured as follows: section 1 gives introduction. Section 2 delves into the linkages between development and climate in Mongolia and presents model-based findings on the economic and poverty impacts of climate change under different scenarios. Section 3 covers four in-depth sectoral analyses. The first two mainly focus on adaptation to climate change in the agriculture and water sectors. The third considers prospects for the extraction sector, while the fourth sectoral analysis focuses on decarbonizing power and heat generation. Section 4 shifts the focus to how the government can boost resilience for climate-vulnerable populations. Section 5 outlines options for mobilizing private and public financing and private investments to support the green transition. Section 6 examines the existing institutional and governance structure for climate action and presents recommendations to improve its effectiveness, and section 7 concludes with a framework for prioritizing the policy actions outlined in this report.
  • Publication
    Kyrgyz Republic Country Climate and Development Report
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-03) World Bank Group
    This Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) on the Kyrgyz Republic aims to support the country’s development goals amid a changing climate. The CCDR considers two policy scenarios up to 2050: the business-as-usual (BAU) and high-growth scenarios. As it quantifies the likely impacts of climate change on the Kyrgyz economy between now and 2050, the report highlights key government actions to best prepare for and adapt to climate impacts (referred to as “with adaptation” measures), with a particular focus on the time horizon up to 2030. The CCDR also outlines a path to net zero emissions by 2050 (referred to as “with mitigation” measures, “decarbonization,” or, simply, “net zero 2050”), highlighting associated development co-benefits.
  • Publication
    Guinea-Bissau Country Climate and Development Report
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-23) World Bank Group
    Guinea-Bissau is endowed with a wealth of natural resources, with the highest natural capital per capita in West Africa (US3,874 dollars per capita), which could be leveraged for sustainable and resilient growth. However, Guinea-Bissau faces significant development hurdles, such as high poverty rates, political instability, and economic challenges, including an over-reliance on cashew nuts. Rural poverty has increased, and the nation's infrastructure, education, and health care systems are underdeveloped. Climate change poses a severe threat, potentially impacting agriculture, fisheries, and infrastructure. Without adaptation, it could lead to a significant cut in real GDP per capita (minus 7.3 percent by 2050) and increase in poverty (with up to over 200,000 additional poor by 2050, that is, 5 percent of the expected population, in the worst scenario). The country's low greenhouse gas emissions are expected to rise, mainly due to agriculture and land-use changes, with deforestation being a major contributing factor. Although Guinea-Bissau is a low emitter, it has high mitigation ambitions, targeting a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The Nationally Determined Contribution outlines significant climate actions, with initiatives focused on forest conservation, sustainable agriculture, and community development. However, the country's political instability, institutional weaknesses, and limited financial resources pose challenges to implementing these climate commitments, which depend heavily on external funding. The financial sector's underdevelopment and vulnerability to external shocks limit its ability to support green investments, though reforms could enhance resilience. Guinea-Bissau must consider its climate financing as development financing and vice-versa, engage the private sector, and integrate climate goals with national development plans to ensure a sustainable future. Concessional climate financing is vital due to the underdeveloped financial sector and the government’s limited borrowing capacity. Addressing Guinea-Bissau's vulnerability to climate change and its structural issues requires a cohesive approach that integrates development and climate strategies. This could involve improving governance, diversifying the economy, protecting natural capital, developing human capital, and investing in sustainable agriculture and infrastructure. The transition to a more sustainable and inclusive development pathway that supports economic growth is possible, but requires focusing on key strategic sectors, enhancing institutional capacity, and creating the conditions to mobilize finance. As a highly vulnerable country, there are myriad needs in the different sectors; however, to be more efficient and effective, Guinea-Bissau should prioritize actions in a few sectors, especially actions on biodiversity, agriculture, and social protection. Low carbon development, especially in energy and forestry sectors, could provide cost-efficient solutions and attract climate finance, including from the private sector, which will support the overall development agenda.
  • Publication
    Jobs in a Changing Climate: Insights from World Bank Group Country Climate and Development Reports Covering 93 Economies
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-05) World Bank
    The World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs) provide a crosscutting look at how countries’ development prospects, and the job opportunities they offer to their people, can be threatened by climate impacts and supported by climate policies. Climate change and policies affect jobs through impacts on productivity, energy and material efficiency, and physical, human, and natural capital. They can also transform employment opportunities, especially through complementary measures that help workers and firms adapt to and benefit from new technologies and production practices. Prepared by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), CCDRs integrate country perspectives, climate science and economic modeling, private sector information, and policy analysis to assess how countries can successfully grow and develop their economies and create jobs despite increasing climate risks and while achieving their climate objectives and commitments. Each CCDR starts from the country’s development priorities, opportunities, and challenges, and is developed in close consultation with governments, businesses, and civil society, ensuring the recommendations reflect national priorities. By combining evidence on adaptation, resilience, and emissions pathways, CCDRs highlight where climate action can reinforce development and job creation, and where targeted policies are needed to manage risks and smooth labor market transitions. Taken together, these elements can help create local jobs, ensure economic transitions are just and inclusive, and equip workers and firms to navigate the disruptions and opportunities of a changing climate and changing technologies.