World Economic Outlook April 2002 - Recessions and Recoveries

This publication presents the IMF analysis and projections for global economic developments and policy issues in major country groups and in many individual countries. This issue contains an analysis of the current global economic slowdown in the context of past recessions, and concludes that it has much more in common with past downturns than is commonly recognised. Overall, it finds that there are increasing signs that the global slowdown has now bottomed out. This issue also includes three essays on: why many Latin American countries have had a disproportionate number of debt crises; consumer spending in industrial countries during the 1990's and the impact of increased household wealth; and the monetary policy challenges in an era of low inflation.