This Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix paper analyzes monetary transmission in Croatia. The evidence analyzed in this paper supports the view that monetary policy in Croatia is not an effective tool for aggregate demand management. One of the main conclusions is that financial conditions in the economy are only weakly correlated with the monetary policy stance. Monetary policy can exercise some control over money-market interest rates, but its influence on lending rates is uncertain and comes with long lags. The paper also examines determinants of lending rates and domestic spreads in Croatia.

This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix analyzes developments in Croatia’s banking sector since independence in 1991, focusing on the effects of independence, war, transition, and the bank rehabilitation process. Changes in market structure, concentration, and ownership, as well as financial performance are highlighted. The paper reviews the current legal environment governing banking operations and improvements needed to strengthen the legislative framework. Some forward-looking conclusions are presented. The paper also examines selected aspects of Croatia’s export performance.

This Selected Issues paper highlights key policy challenges for accelerating growth on a sustainable basis and reducing external and financial vulnerabilities in the Republic of Croatia. A significant reduction in public expenditure would be needed to simultaneously provide room for cutting taxes, boost growth, and lower the budget deficit to help narrow the current account deficit. The analysis finds that Croatian banks are not necessarily passing on the higher risk of foreign exchange-linked loans to unhedged clients by charging higher interest rates.

'State-Owned Banks in the Transition: Origins, Evolution, and Policy Responses' reviews the experience with state banking over the last decade in the transition economies of Europe and Central Asia. State ownership of banking systems has undermined economic reform efforts and has distorted emerging markets. This study compares various approaches to reform and calls attention to the significant costs associated with continued state ownership. It concludes with lessons from experience and recommendations for policymakers on approaches to reducing state ownership of banks in the region. The findings indicate that restructuring of state banks has proven time consuming and costly, and governments are better off moving swiftly to privatize or liquidate their remaining state banks rather than attempting to rehabilitate them. This report includes seven case studies of individual state banks that have been reformed or privatized over the past decade. The case studies highlight the challenges of implementing various reform measures and illustrate how such challenges have been addressed in difficult economic and political contexts.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the main factors that affected the course of the countries of South-Eastern Europe during transition, contributing, as a result, to their disappointing economic performance. Thus, the role of initial conditions and issues concerning the effectiveness of macroeconomic stabilization and structural reforms are at the centre of the analysis. Furthermore, this volume focuses on developments and issues concerning international trade patterns, foreign direct investment and the impact of the Euro on the exchange rate policies of the countries in the region.