This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix analyzes economic developments in Colombia during 1996–99. Output growth slowed sharply in 1996 and early 1997, but subsequently rebounded owing to stronger exports, a temporary boom in world coffee prices, and an easing of credit policy. Despite efforts at addressing the fiscal imbalances, the nonfinancial public sector deficit widened further to more than 4 percent of GDP in 1997. Monetary policy during 1996 and most of 1997 was geared toward stimulating domestic demand.

This Selected Issues paper provides background information and analysis on recent developments and critical issues for the Colombian economy. The study discusses the unemployment and stresses in the financial system and also focuses on fiscal issues. The following statistical data are presented in detail: national accounts at current prices and at constant prices, savings and investment, value of agricultural crops, mining production, structure of regular gasoline prices, indicators of construction activity, minimum wages, producer price index, interest rates, and so on.

For decades, Colombia has contended with a variety of highly publicized conflicts, including the rise of paramilitary groups in response to rebel insurgencies of the 1960s, the expansion of an illegal drug industry that has permeated politics and society since the 1970s, and a faltering economy in the 1990s. An unprecedented analysis of these struggles, Guns, Drugs, and Development in Colombia brings together leading scholars from a variety of fields, blending previously unseen quantitative data with historical analysis for an impressively comprehensive assessment. Culminating in an inspiring plan for peace, based on Four Cornerstones of Pacification, this landmark work is sure to spur new calls for change in this corner of Latin America and beyond.

This work is an introduction to who's who and what is really happening in Columbia. In one volume, it brings together the best material published on the war, the economy, social impact and prospects of peace in Columbia.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in policy reforms in Latin America. The author combines tremendous experience in the field and deep knowledge of economic theory: a rare combination. Alberto Alesina, Harvard University, US One of the key contributions of this book is its insistence on the importance of policy, institutional and political accountability for evaluating and enhancing macroeconomic performance and for reducing inequality. John B. Taylor, Stanford University and Hoover Institution, US Dr Wiesner combines a command of modern political and economic theories and detailed knowledge of Latin America to clarify why reform of policies and institutions has proved so difficult in that region. His general conclusion is that initial conditions of inequality and poverty reduce the demand for reform, but he finds that the process manifests itself differently in different countries. He identifies several necessary conditions for breaking out of these vicious circles. Scholars and practitioners alike can learn from his impressively thorough and detailed analysis. Avinash K. Dixit, Princeton University, US This book argues insightfully that underdevelopment is the result of the political economy difficulties some countries have in the effectiveness of public expenditures in general and of social pro-poor expenditures in particular. The policy implication is that reform strategies should focus on identifying the wrong political incentives in public expenditures. Ricardo Hausmann, Harvard University, US Eduardo Wiesner s book makes an important contribution to the understanding of development by blending together the interdependent issues of (i) macroeconomic performance and volatility, (ii) equity and distributive justice, (iii) fiscal deficits and the redistributive effectiveness of social public expenditures, and (iv) the demand for the right institutions and for policy reform in Latin America. It does this by examining recent macroeconomic crises from a political economy perspective, and finds that information is the critical algorithm that links together the demand for macroeconomic stability, macroeconomic performance and, ultimately, distributive justice. This volume is geared toward those interested in the political economy of development and policy reform in general and in Latin America, including academics, policy makers, and the general reader.