Bolivia’s Economic Pivot: Early Macroeconomic Achievements and Remaining Challenges

Guillermo Arcay, Fernando Garcia, Lucila Venturi, Alejandro Werner and Ricardo Hausmann
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Guillermo Arcay: Harvard's Growth Lab

No 262, Growth Lab Working Papers from Harvard's Growth Lab

Abstract: This paper assesses Bolivia’s macroeconomic stabilization prospects through a macro-financial scenario framework, comparing three distinct trajectories: a counterfactual absent any reforms, the path under reforms implemented or announced to date (April 2026), and one that assumes a select set of additional reforms. Bolivia’s crisis, rooted in the absence of fiscal adjustment after the collapse of natural gas revenues, ranks among the most challenging in this century. Absent any reform, Bolivia was on the verge of a collapse, including a sharp contraction of imports, deep recession, runaway monetary financing, accelerating inflation, and a high probability of external default. The new government’s initial measures have reduced immediate risks. However, the initial reform package remains insufficient for full stabilization. The paper describes a feasible set of additional reforms to achieve stabilization and growth. An expansionary fiscal consolidation is still possible if reforms are carried out following a specific set of conditions, given Bolivia’s current economic constraints. Stabilization and growth are achievable, but the window of opportunity will narrow if critical reforms are delayed.

Keywords: Bolivia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-04
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