Abstract
On the verge of the new decade, Jamaicans were greeted with the news that the country had successfully completed two consecutive borrowing relationships with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). What would this mean for the way in which the government would manage the economy especially given the fact that an election could be called in 2020? Would there be a return to fiscal profligacy or could the authorities truly hold to fiscal discipline and continue the reform efforts? Where would economic growth come from and what would it cost to achieve it? Were the dividends generated from the reform sufficient to enable Jamaica to withstand any shocks that will come? At the very essence, will Jamaica return to the IMF a third time, and, if yes, when? This chapter explores these issues and provides brief insights into the potential future.
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Notes
- 1.
The Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) replaces two instruments: the Emergency Natural Disaster Assistance (ENDA) and the Emergency Post-Conflict Assistance (EPCA) (International Monetary Fund, 2020a).
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Clarke, C., Nelson, C. (2021). There and Back Again: The Journey Continues. In: Jamaica’s Evolving Relationship with the IMF. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59204-2_11
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