Publications

Changing Engines, Different Cycles: Monetary Policy in China and Europe

| 20 August 2026
Monetary, Blog | Tags: China, Economic Growth, Europe, Macroprudential Policy
At the aggregate level, China and Europe are in very different macroeconomic phases. China continues to face weak domestic demand and persistently low inflation, while Europe is confronting renewed inflationary pressure from an external supply shock ... ... continue reading

How Southeast Asia’s Central Banks Can Meet the Climate Challenge

and | 5 August 2026
Monetary, Commentary | Tags: ASEAN, Central Banks, Climate Risks, Targeted Refinancing Lines
Climate change is creating greater price and financial instability across Southeast Asia, from supply chain disruptions to increased default risks. Operating within their traditional mandates, the region’s central banks are monitoring these risks in a largely reactive manner. ... continue reading

Bank of Japan’s Independence Reinforces Sanaenomics’ Credibility

| 29 July 2026
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Central Banks, Governing Finance, Japan
Japan’s annual economic policy blueprint rarely moves markets. This year’s did, even before it was finalised. An early draft of the Sanae Takaichi administration’s ‘Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform’ placed unprecedented emphasis on the compatibility of Bank of Japan policy with ... continue reading

Entrepreneurship or Income Reclassification? Responses to Preferential Taxation of Business Income in Poland

and | 29 July 2026
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Employment, Entrepreneurship, Poland, Tax Reform
Governments often tax small business income at lower rates than employment income. The rationale is often that entrepreneurship generates positive spillovers in terms of innovation, investment, and employment. ... continue reading

From Plans to Reality: Budget Credibility in Sub-Saharan Africa

, and | 30 June 2026
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Africa, Tax Expenditures
Budgets are the central policy instrument for articulating government priorities, allocating scarce resources, and determining the fiscal stance. They set out governments’ expectations for revenues, borrowing, and spending based on policy priorities, macroeconomic forecasts, and financing assumptions. ... continue reading

Tax Expenditures Country Report: Switzerland

and | 23 June 2026
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: GTED, GTETI, Switzerland, Tax Expenditures
Beyond transparency concerns, the absence of robust information undermines the evaluation of tax expenditure effectiveness. Switzerland lags significantly behind international standards in this area ... ... continue reading

Economic Policies for Affordable, Secure and Clean Energy: Synthesis Report

| 5 June 2026
Fiscal, Policy Briefs | Tags: Decarbonization, Energy, Industrial Policy, Policy Coherence, Tax Expenditures
Recent energy crises, surging electricity demand and accelerating climate change have pushed affordable, secure, and clean energy to the top of policy agendas worldwide. The challenge respects no borders,making cross-country perspectives timely. ... continue reading

Forget Stablecoins

and | 2 June 2026
Monetary, Commentary | Tags: CBDC, Central Banks, Financial Governance, Stablecoins
Modern banking systems are inherently fragile because they assign to private institutions the contradictory tasks of simultaneously creating money and financing risky lending. Digital innovation amplifies this fragility: stablecoins introduce new layers of runnable instruments, while digitization accelerates financial panics. ... continue reading

Tax Expenditures Country Report: Zimbabwe

and | 20 May 2026
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: GTED, GTETI, Tax Expenditures, Zimbabwe
Tax expenditures (TEs) in Zimbabwe represent a significant portion of government spending, amounting to 2.8 percent of GDP, 24.7 percent of total revenue, and 21.2 percent of public spending in 2023. Companies benefitting from TEs enjoy tax savings that trigger a reduction in government revenue, ... continue reading

VAT and Social Equity: The Case of Period Products

| 18 May 2026
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Gender, Inequality, Tax Expenditures, VAT
Value added tax (VAT) is one of the most important revenue sources for the 21st-century tax and welfare state. This holds true for OECD Member Countries as well as EU Member States, and more so for low-income countries. ... continue reading