IFC Technical Paper No. 3. Inflation plagues many of the developing countries in which the International Finance Corporation (IFC) operates. To date, however, little is known about the impact of inflation on the financial statements of firms in developing countries. The authors of this study have developed a simple algorithm, based on the method of inflation accounting used in Brazil, and have applied it to the accounts of listed companies in Turkey for the period 1982-90. The paper documents an inflation-induced bias in financial statements and introduces a methodology for adjusting corporate financial statements for inflation effects.

The World Economic Outlook, published twice a year in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic, presents IMF staff economists analyses of global economic developments during the near and medium term. Chapters give an overview of the world economy; consider issues affecting industrial countries, developing countries, and economies in transition to market; and address topics of pressing current interest. Annexes, boxes, charts, and an extensive statistical appendix augment the text.

Recent events in East Asia have highlighted the risks of volatility and contagion in a financially integrated world. Countries in the region had been at the forefront of the movement towards increased integration but the crisis that struck Thailand in July 1997, and the rapidity with which it spread to other East Asian nations, suggested that all was not well. Weaknesses in domestic financial intermediation, poor corporate governance and deficient government responses to large capital inflows all played a role in the build-up of vulnerability. Asia-Pacific Financial Deregulation provides an insight into financial liberalisation and structural reform in the region generally and as illustrated by a number of countries.

Here leading world economic experts examine topical issues of international finance such as globalization, multilateral financial institutions and capital flows to emerging economies. Ideal for students, businesspeople and policy makers.

Rapid globalisation has brought substantial benefits to developing Asia, but it has also heightened the risks associated with policy mistakes, weak financial institutions, and problems in corporate and public governance. The 1997 Asian crisis has ...

Modern focus on the Asia Pacific has centred on its rapid transformation in the span of a mere two decades. Since the 1997 economic crisis however, attention has now turned to transition issues as the region faces the challenge of global structural transformation that has and will affect the direction of the region's long-term development. Drawing from a range of contributors from several disciplines, this book seeks to capture some of the multifaceted dimensions of these transitions as the region adjusts to new global realities.

This book looks at globalisation in historical perspective and *examines the experience of East Asian economies during the financial crisis *provides an account of globalisation through the activities of Japanese multinational enterprises *deals with the social consequences of exposure to the financial market risks of globalisation in East Asia *details the experience of East Asian economies in managing the financial crisis *draws lessons from East Asian experience with financial market liberalisation *asks what approaches to international financial cooperation, trade policy and corporate governance can assist East Asian interests in the world economy.

The notion that South Asian economies have tended to be less successful than those of East Asia is critically examined and the reasons why discussed. Countries covered include Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Key issues examined: * agriculture and rural development * labour market and human resource development * trade and industry policies * foreign investment and technological capabilities * foreign aid and economic development * financial development and economic performance * poverty, inequality and economic development * regional economic co-operation * 'green' development.

November 1998 Recent events in East Asia highlighted the risks of weak financial institutions and distorted incentives in a financially integrated world. These weaknesses led to two sources of vulnerability: East Asia's rapid buildup of contingent liabilities, and overreliance on short-term foreign borrowing. The buildup of vulnerabilities in East Asia is shown here to be mainly the result of weaknesses in financial intermediation, poor corporate governance, and deficient government policies, including pro-cyclical macroeconomic policy responses to large capital inflows. Weak due diligence by external creditors, fueled partly by ample global liquidity, also played a role but global factors were more important in triggering the crises than in causing them. The crisis occurred partly because the economies lacked the institutional and regulatory structure to cope with increasingly integrated capital markets. Trouble arose from private sector decisions (by both borrowers and lenders) but governments created incentives for risky behavior and exerted little regulatory authority. Governments failed to encourage the transparency needed for the market to recognize and correct such problems as unreported mutual guarantees, insider relations, and nondisclosure of banks' and companies' true net positions. Domestic weaknesses were aggravated by poorly disciplined foreign lending. The problem was not so much overall indebtedness as the composition of debt: a buildup of short-term unhedged debt left the economies vulnerable to a sudden loss of confidence. The same factors made the crisis's economic and social impact more severe than some anticipated. The loss of confidence directly affected private demand-both investment and consumption-which could not be offset in the short run by net external demand. The effect on corporations and financial institutions has been severe because of the high degree of leveraging and the unhedged, short-term nature of foreign liabilities, which has led to a severe liquidity crunch. Domestic recession, financial and corporate distress, liquidity constraints, and political uncertainty were self-reinforcing, leading to a severe downturn. This paper-a joint product of the Economic Policy Unit, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network and the Central Bank of Chile-was presented at the CEPR/World Bank conference Financial Crises: Contagion and Market Volatility, May 8-9, 1998, London, and at the PAFTAD 24 conference, Asia Pacific Financial Liberation and Reform, May 20-22, 1998, in Chiangmai, Thailand. Pedro Alba may be contacted at palba@worldbank.org.