Publication:
Tajikistan : Fiscal Risks from State-Owned Enterprises

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (1.17 MB)
749 downloads
English Text (151.71 KB)
115 downloads
Date
2014-06
ISSN
Published
2014-06
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
This policy note is part of the World Bank's Programmatic Public Expenditure Review (PER) work program for FY2012-2014. The PER consists of a series of fiscal policy notes, which aim at providing the Government of Tajikistan with recommendations to strengthen budgetary processes and analysis. This policy note, the fifth in the series continues the fiscal policy dialogue conducted in the previous notes. It is structured as follows. Chapter 2 reviews the role of state-owned enterprises (SOE) in Tajikistan's economy and identifies key issues. Chapter 3 assesses the fiscal risks posed by SOEs, especially those in the energy sector. Chapter 4 puts forth possible solutions. Chapter 5 summarizes the main conclusions of this note: 1) despite privatizations and attempts at restructuring, Tajikistan still has a large, inefficient, and heavily indebted public sector; 2) the lack of comprehensive information about the sector undermines budget credibility and budget integrity; 3) multiple but uncoordinated functions, responsibilities, and accountability lines limit government ability to form a comprehensive view of the SOE sector, define a consistent strategy, and effect transparency, performance, reporting, and oversight; 4) elaborate QFAs of SOEs and other public institutions create substantial fiscal risks and undermine the hard-earned benefits of fiscal consolidation; 5) liabilities, explicit and implicit, created by SOE operations are large and must be accounted for and properly delineated; 6) solutions proposed to address the major issues are phasing out QFAs, optimizing the size and scope of the SOE sector, and improving SOE management; and 7) SOE reform should be an integral part of the general reform agenda.
Link to Data Set
Citation
World Bank. 2014. Tajikistan : Fiscal Risks from State-Owned Enterprises. Takijistan policy notes on public expenditures;policy note no. 5. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20749 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
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
    Ukraine : System of Financial Oversight and Governance of State-Owned Enterprises
    (Washington, DC, 2011-02-22) World Bank
    The report focuses on the system of financial oversight and governance of state-owned enterprises in Ukraine. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) continue to represent a significant share of Ukraine's economy, and play a dominant role in sectors such as rail, transport, utilities, energy and telecommunications. These enterprises play an important role for the government by remitting dividend payments to the national treasury to fund the country's development agenda. At the same time, these same enterprises government receive fiscal support through a transfer of budgetary resources, issuance of guarantees for enterprise debt, facilitation to lines of credit, and other financial instruments. Ukraine's SOE sector has a wide range of ownership and management schemes. The basic legal framework for SOE oversight, defined in the Commercial Code of Ukraine, provides for the delegation of responsibilities across several ministries/agencies. As a result, there are overlapping roles across different government institutions, and gaps with regard to active monitoring and oversight. In practice, the SOE oversight function of the line ministries is primarily exercised through a review of the reports submitted by the SOEs on the implementation of financial plans. However, the review is typically light, and its efficiency is undermined by the limited clarity of the operating objectives for SOEs, and limited usefulness of the performance management framework. Moreover, the underlying data used to measure performance indicators is not validated and its reliability is uncertain. Even though the current performance management framework can be improved, performance evaluations are not conducted for a substantial number of SOEs which seriously undermines the effectiveness of oversight.
  • Publication
    Transparency of State Owned Enterprises in Vietnam : Current Status and Ideas for Reform
    (Washington, DC, 2014) World Bank
    Information disclosure by State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) is part of a broader agenda to promote greater public sector transparency in Vietnam. Recent studies by the World Bank and others have shown that despite progress, compliance with legal requirements for transparency remains a challenge across a wide range of public sector governance areas in Vietnam. However, the marginal benefit to increased transparency is very significant. Timely availability of credible economic data, and better communication of policy changes, can help reduce market uncertainty and perceptions of risk. Transparency of SOEs is particularly important given their large presence in Vietnam s economy. In a survey conducted in 2011 for the Vietnam Development Report (2012) entitled Market Economy for a Middle Income Vietnam , improving transparency was cited by respondents as the top reform solution for SOEs in Vietnam together with accelerating equalization. Prime Minister s Decision 929 (2012), which sets out an overall plan to restructure General Corporations and State Economic Groups, sets out several commitments to help improve the transparency of SOEs. The SOE transparency agenda is an important part of the program supported under the Economic Management and Competitiveness Credit (EMCC) budget support operation. It is with this background that this Policy Note was prepared to help promote a dialogue between the Government of Vietnam and Development Partners on ways to enhance disclosure of information by SOEs.
  • Publication
    El Salvador : Accounting and Auditing
    (Washington, DC, 2005-06) World Bank
    This report provides an assessment of accounting and auditing practices within El Salvador's corporate sector. It used International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Standards on Auditing (ISA) as benchmarks, and drew on international experience and good practices in those fields. Both statutory requirements and actual practices were analyzed as part of this review. The purpose of this ROSC is to assist the Government of El Salvador in strengthening the private sector's accounting and auditing practices and financial transparency. The development objectives these efforts address are (a) fostering the growth and accountability of the private sector, (b) ensuring adequate market regulation with respect to the provision of essential services, and (c) making the business environment more attractive for foreign direct investment (FDI). The recommendations of this ROSC are intended to serve as the basis for a country action plan to be developed by the Government of El Salvador in collaboration with in-country stakeholders and with the assistance of the World Bank and other donors.
  • Publication
    Slovenia Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-05) World Bank
    This assessment of accounting and auditing practices in Slovenia is part of a joint initiative of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to prepare Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC). The assessment focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of the accounting and auditing environment that influence the quality of corporate financial reporting and includes a review of both mandatory requirements and actual practice. This is the second A&A ROSC for Slovenia and based on information collected in 2013, early 2014. The first one was published in 2004. As the requirements of the EU acquis communautaire and international standards have already been adopted in the financial sector this assessment focuses on the proper application of these requirements, with the view that improved financial information raises the capacity of regulators to maintain financial stability, and improve the level of trust in the financial system, in the context of an ongoing recapitalization exercise. In the State Owned Enterprises, or SOEs, the report focuses on the requirements applicable to them and how well these are enforced, as well as to what extent the government uses the financial reporting and audit process to monitor SOEs and hold their management teams accountable. This report also considers SMEs financial reporting, including how current requirements compare with the latest revisions to the EU Accounting Directive, which further simplified requirements for smaller companies. Finally, audit oversight and quality assurance systems are assessed, including the feasibility of incorporating the audit oversight body as part of the financial sector supervisor.
  • Publication
    The Politics of Russian Enterprise Reform : Insiders, Local Governments, and the Obstacles to Restructuring
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2001-10) Desai, Raj M.; Goldberg, Itzhak
    Russia and other countries in the commonwealth of independent states that have implemented voucher privatization programs have to account for the puzzling behavior of insiders manager-owners-who, in stripping assets from the firms they own, appear to be stealing from one pocket to fill the other. This article suggests that asset stripping and the absence of restructuring result from interactions between insiders and subnational governments in a particular property rights regime, in which the ability to realize value is limited by uncertainty and illiquidity. As the central institutions that govern the Russian economy have ceded their powers to the provinces, regional and local governments have imposed a variety of distortions on enterprises to protect local employment. To disentangle these vicious circles of control, this article considers three sets of institutional changes: adjustments to the system of fiscal federalism by which subnational governments would be allowed to retain tax revenues generated locally; legal improvements in the protection of property rights; and the provision of mechanisms for restructuring and ownership transformation in insider-dominated firms. The aim of these reforms would be to change the incentives that local governments, owners, and investors face; to convince subnational governments that a more sustainable way of protecting employment lies in protecting local investment; to raise the cost of theft and corruption by insiders and local officials; and to allow investors to acquire controlling stakes in viable firms.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Economic Recovery
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-04-06) Malpass, David; Georgieva, Kristalina; Yellen, Janet
    World Bank Group President David Malpass spoke about the world facing major challenges, including COVID, climate change, rising poverty and inequality and growing fragility and violence in many countries. He highlighted vaccines, working closely with Gavi, WHO, and UNICEF, the World Bank has conducted over one hundred capacity assessments, many even more before vaccines were available. The World Bank Group worked to achieve a debt service suspension initiative and increased transparency in debt contracts at developing countries. The World Bank Group is finalizing a new climate change action plan, which includes a big step up in financing, building on their record climate financing over the past two years. He noted big challenges to bring all together to achieve GRID: green, resilient, and inclusive development. Janet Yellen, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, mentioned focusing on vulnerable people during the pandemic. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, focused on giving everyone a fair shot during a sustainable recovery. All three commented on the importance of tackling climate change.
  • Publication
    Remarks at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-12) Malpass, David
    World Bank Group President David Malpass discussed biodiversity and climate change being closely interlinked, with terrestrial and marine ecosystems serving as critically important carbon sinks. At the same time climate change acts as a direct driver of biodiversity and ecosystem services loss. The World Bank has financed biodiversity conservation around the world, including over 116 million hectares of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas, 10 million hectares of Terrestrial Protected Areas, and over 300 protected habitats, biological buffer zones and reserves. The COVID pandemic, biodiversity loss, climate change are all reminders of how connected we are. The recovery from this pandemic is an opportunity to put in place more effective policies, institutions, and resources to address biodiversity loss.
  • Publication
    The Journey Ahead
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-31) Bossavie, Laurent; Garrote Sánchez, Daniel; Makovec, Mattia
    The Journey Ahead: Supporting Successful Migration in Europe and Central Asia provides an in-depth analysis of international migration in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and the implications for policy making. By identifying challenges and opportunities associated with migration in the region, it aims to inform a more nuanced, evidencebased debate on the costs and benefits of cross-border mobility. Using data-driven insights and new analysis, the report shows that migration has been an engine of prosperity and has helped address some of ECA’s demographic and socioeconomic disparities. Yet, migration’s full economic potential remains untapped. The report identifies multiple barriers keeping migration from achieving its full potential. Crucially, it argues that policies in both origin and destination countries can help maximize the development impacts of migration and effectively manage the economic, social, and political costs. Drawing from a wide range of literature, country experiences, and novel analysis, The Journey Ahead presents actionable policy options to enhance the benefits of migration for destination and origin countries and migrants themselves. Some measures can be taken unilaterally by countries, whereas others require close bilateral or regional coordination. The recommendations are tailored to different types of migration— forced displacement as well as high-skilled and low-skilled economic migration—and from the perspectives of both sending and receiving countries. This report serves as a comprehensive resource for governments, development partners, and other stakeholders throughout Europe and Central Asia, where the richness and diversity of migration experiences provide valuable insights for policy makers in other regions of the world.
  • Publication
    South Asia Development Update, April 2024: Jobs for Resilience
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-04-02) World Bank
    South Asia is expected to continue to be the fastest-growing emerging market and developing economy (EMDE) region over the next two years. This is largely thanks to robust growth in India, but growth is also expected to pick up in most other South Asian economies. However, growth in the near-term is more reliant on the public sector than elsewhere, whereas private investment, in particular, continues to be weak. Efforts to rein in elevated debt, borrowing costs, and fiscal deficits may eventually weigh on growth and limit governments' ability to respond to increasingly frequent climate shocks. Yet, the provision of public goods is among the most effective strategies for climate adaptation. This is especially the case for households and farms, which tend to rely on shifting their efforts to non-agricultural jobs. These strategies are less effective forms of climate adaptation, in part because opportunities to move out of agriculture are limited by the region’s below-average employment ratios in the non-agricultural sector and for women. Because employment growth is falling short of working-age population growth, the region fails to fully capitalize on its demographic dividend. Vibrant, competitive firms are key to unlocking the demographic dividend, robust private investment, and workers’ ability to move out of agriculture. A range of policies could spur firm growth, including improved business climates and institutions, the removal of financial sector restrictions, and greater openness to trade and capital flows.
  • Publication
    Media and Messages for Nutrition and Health
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-06) Calleja, Ramon V., Jr.; Mbuya, Nkosinathi V.N.; Morimoto, Tomo; Thitsy, Sophavanh
    The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has experienced rapid and significant economic growth over the past decade. However, poor nutritional outcomes remain a concern. Rates of childhood undernutrition are particularly high in remote, rural, and upland areas. Media have the potential to play an important role in shaping health and nutrition–related behaviors and practices as well as in promoting sociocultural and economic development that might contribute to improved nutritional outcomes. This report presents the results of a media audit (MA) that was conducted to inform the development and production of mass media advocacy and communication strategies and materials with a focus on maternal and child health and nutrition that would reach the most people from the poorest communities in northern Lao PDR. Making more people aware of useful information, essential services and products and influencing them to use these effectively is the ultimate goal of mass media campaigns, and the MA measures the potential effectiveness of media efforts to reach this goal. The effectiveness of communication channels to deliver health and nutrition messages to target beneficiaries to ensure maximum reach and uptake can be viewed in terms of preferences, satisfaction, and trust. Overall, the four most accessed media channels for receiving information among communities in the study areas were village announcements, mobile phones, television, and out-of-home (OOH) media. Of the accessed media channels, the top three most preferred channels were village announcements (40 percent), television (26 percent), and mobile phones (19 percent). In terms of trust, village announcements were the most trusted source of information (64 percent), followed by mobile phones (14 percent) and television (11 percent). Hence of all the media channels, village announcements are the most preferred, have the most satisfied users, and are the most trusted source of information in study communities from four provinces in Lao PDR with some of the highest burden of childhood undernutrition.