This public expenditure review/country financial accountability assessment (PER/CFAA) examines the means by which Laos can improve the planning and management of public resources to establish sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty. It is meant to support the goals of the government's National Poverty Eradication Program, as well as those of the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility, and the Poverty Reduction Partnership Agreement. This report is a full collaborative effort by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. The report is organized in six chapters. Following the introductory chapter,
- Chapter 2 focuses on the macroeconomic framework and the resources envelope.
- Chapter 3 considers issues of budget execution and control.
- Chapter 4 is on budget planning and preparation.
- Chapter 5 explores the dimensions of poverty in Laos and how expenditures planning and management can support the objective of poverty alleviation. The final chapter provides an analysis of public expenditure issues in the context of six major sectors: education, health, agriculture, energy, transportation, and forestry. These explore further the means alleviating poverty, as well as highlighting the cross-cutting issues relating to public expenditure planning and management.