Nepal Development Update, October 2013
Nepal's political developments continue to overshadow and impede its economic development. Over the short term, whether the scheduled elections are held and, if so, whether they achieve a modicum of consensus will be a major test. Political in...
Main Authors: | , , |
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Format: | Economic Updates and Modeling |
Language: | English en_US |
Published: |
World Bank, Kathmandu
2014
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/10/18481147/nepal-development-update http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16633 |
Summary: | Nepal's political developments
continue to overshadow and impede its economic development.
Over the short term, whether the scheduled elections are
held and, if so, whether they achieve a modicum of consensus
will be a major test. Political instability clouded the
outlook in FY2013 and remains the principal source of
vulnerability going forward. While Nepal's
macroeconomic fundamentals remain stable, sources of
vulnerability have not disappeared. Although the financial
sector has rebuilt strength, it remains an important source
of weakness. Important initiatives to improve the governance
environment have been taken, but these initiatives can be
amplified further. For FY2014, the baseline scenario is a
gradual return to trend, with higher growth and sustainable
fiscal expansion. While important psychologically and for
some sectors of the economy, the recent depreciation of the
Nepal rupee is not expected to hold back growth or to
threaten macroeconomic stability. While a revision of the
peg with India may eventually be warranted, the report
agrees with Nepali policy makers that this is not the time
when markets are unstable to move impulsively. Instead, such
a major policy shift should be based on clear policy
objectives and in-depth analysis of likely economic
outcomes, including the long-term impact on Nepal's
trade competitiveness. The report is structured as follows:
chapter one gives summary; chapter two gives recent economic
developments; chapter three gives policies and short- to
medium-term development challenges; chapter four presents
short and medium-term economic projections; chapter five
focuses on bank support and activities; and chapter six
presents special focus. |
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