02178cas a2200265 a 4500 AALejournalIMF019162 230101c9999 xx r poo 0 0eng d 5.00 USD 9781498304214 1018-5941 BD-DhAAL BD-DhAAL Mitchell, A. E. Wayne. Government Wage Bill Management and Civil Service Reform in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union / A. E. Wayne Mitchell, Ronald James, Ann Marie Wickham. Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2019. 1 online resource (33 pages) IMF Working Papers <strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required <strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students In this study, we assess the size of the government wage bill and employment in the member countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union and their implications for fiscal sustainability and the adequacy of public service delivery. Over the period 2005 to 2015 their wage bill (as a percentage of GDP, government revenues and expenditures) is higher than in other small states notwithstanding recent efforts by governments to make it more manageable. The composition and distribution of employment is sub-optimal and is reflected in skills mismatches contributing to inefficiencies in public service delivery. Using a dynamic fixed-effects panel, we find that wage bill growth reflects the expansion of government activities to speed up economic and social development and that wage bill spending is procyclical in good times but is rigid during downturns. Finally, we identify the main institutional and legal reforms needed to improve wage bill management and public service efficiency. Mode of access: Internet James, Ronald. Wickham, Ann Marie. IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 2019/110 Full text available on IMF http://elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/001/2019/110/001.2019.issue-110-en.xml IMF e-Library