Poverty Reduction Support Credits : Lao PDR Country Study
The Lao PDR has been a one-party, socialist state since the overthrow of the monarchy by the communist Pathet Lao in 1975, which was preceded by a long period of civil and regional strife. After a decade of relative isolation and close military coo...
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Format: | Working Paper |
Language: | English en_US |
Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2017
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Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/886471468045890304/Poverty-reduction-support-credits-Lao-PDR-country-study http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27863 |
Summary: | The Lao PDR has been a one-party,
socialist state since the overthrow of the monarchy by the
communist Pathet Lao in 1975, which was preceded by a long
period of civil and regional strife. After a decade of
relative isolation and close military cooperation with
Vietnam, the new economic mechanism, introduced in 1986,
ushered in an era of market-based reforms, which has
continued to the present day. Lao PDR is one of the poorest
countries in East Asia, with a 2006 per capita income of US$
500. In 2004, 71 percent of its population of 5.7 million
lived on less than US$ 2/day and 23 percent on less than US$
1/day. However Lao PDR has grown rapidly since the
inauguration of reforms two decades ago. During the 1990s
growth averaged 6 percent per annum despite severe
imbalances during the Asian crisis. Following successful
stabilization, growth continued to average close to 6
percent during 2001-2004, accelerating in 2005-2007 to over
7 percent. Inflation remained well below 10 percent since
2005. Although Lao PDR qualifies for the Heavily Indebted
Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, the Government has chosen
to maintain normal creditor relations. The latest debt
sustainability analysis confirms that, while risk of debt
distress is high, medium term debt service is manageable,
contingent on continued reform and prudent fiscal
management. Foreign direct investment has almost quadrupled
between 2004 and 2007, and exceeds US$ 800 million annually,
mostly in hydropower and mining. Growth in Lao PDR has been
pro-poor. Based on the national poverty line, the poverty
headcount has fallen from almost half to one-third of the
population during the decade ending in 2002-2003. The
country's performance on other elements of poverty
reduction as summarized in the millennium development goals
is mixed. |
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