Macroeconomic Diagnostics (MDS)

Source details

Mid level to senior officials in central banks, ministries of finance/economy or public agencies who diagnose the macro economy and prepare projections/policy analysis.
Open to government officials from SARTTAC member countries.
Course delivered in English with workshops using case studies relevant to South Asia.

Strengthens participants' ability to diagnose a country's macroeconomic situation using practical tools applied by IMF economists.
Coverage includes:
- Assessment of the current conjuncture.
- Drivers of growth and the output gap.
- Inflation dynamics.
- The stance and transmission of monetary and fiscal policy.
- Macro financial linkages using financial soundness indicators.
- External sector analysis, including balance of payments vulnerabilities, exchange rate assessment, and reserve adequacy.
- Medium term analysis focusing on public and external debt sustainability and risk identification using a simple risk assessment matrix.
Delivery format: Blends lectures with hands on workshops and case studies to develop a coherent, policy oriented narrative and support application in participants' day to day work.

Analyze potential output and compute output gaps to diagnose the growth outlook.
Assess the stance of fiscal, monetary, exchange rate, and macro prudential policies and their consistency.
Evaluate macro financial linkages using financial soundness and risk indicators.
Assess external sector conditions (current account, capital flows, exchange rate valuation, reserve adequacy).
Appraise public and external debt sustainability and medium-term prospects.
Identify key risks and vulnerabilities and summarize them in a simple risk assessment to inform policy.
Synthesize findings into a policy consistent macroeconomic narrative for decision makers.