Book Description

This is the first public expenditure and institutional review on Bulgaria by the World Bank. The objective of this study is to outline public expenditure issues and policy directions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of pubic expenditures in Bulgaria. It assesses fiscal sustainability and analyzes the efficiency and effectiveness of public expenditures and their institutional framework. Bulgaria has made substantial progress toward long-term macroeconomic stablility. Growth has been re-established, per capita income has improved, inflation has remained low, poverty has been reduced, and the external debt to GDP ratio has declined. Furthermore, the share of the private sector in the economy is increasing, major regulatory reform is underway, the banking sector is on more solid footing, and energy pricing reforms are improving efficiency, and reducing the fiscal burden. But challenges remain in the five sectors looked at - education, health, social protection, the state railways and energy sectors.