Do IMF Programs Stimulate Private Sector Investment?

Pietro Bomprezzi, Silvia Marchesi and Rima Turk Ariss

No 2022/157, IMF Working Papers from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: This paper provides new evidence on the role of IMF programs in stimulating private sector investments. Using detailed firm-level data on tangible fixed assets and a local projection methodology, we first estimate the dynamic response of firm investments to the approval of an IMF arrangement. We find that distinguishing between GRA and PRGT financing matters for the path of firm investment and its growth, and we also document the presence of two financial channels; the degree of firms’ external financial dependence and firms’ sectoral uncertainty. Exploiting these firm-level characteristics, we employ a difference-in-differences approach to understand the mechanisms through which the approval of an IMF arrangement propagates in the private sector. We find that the more firms rely on external finance and the more they are subject to uncertainty, the less binding these financial frictions become, and hence the more firms invest following a program approval. Finally, using ownership data, we find that private investments are stimulated more for domestic firms. The presence of a private investment transmission channel could help improve our understanding of what factors could affect the success and effectiveness of IMF programs.

Keywords: IMF; Firm investment; Local Projection; Financial Frictions; Difference-in-Differences; IMF arrangement; IMF working papers; firm investment response; AIPW estimate; program approval; Private investment; Financial statements; Balance of payments need; Sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 50
Date: 2022-07-29
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cfn, nep-dev and nep-fdg
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Working Paper: Do IMF Programs Stimulate Private Sector Investment? (2023)
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