Sound Practice in Government Debt Management

Book excerpt: Since the late 1980's, many OECD governments have invested heavily in improving the quality of their debt management practices. In recent years, the topic has received additional attention for its potential role in reducing the vulnerability of emerging economies to financial and economic shocks. A government asset and liability management framework can offer valuable conceptual insights for managing the risks associated with government debt portfolios and their interface with a wide range of public policy issues. Prudent risk management requires clear objectives or debt managers, sound institutional and legal framework, appropriate quality assurance procedures and checks and balances, and efficient management information systems. This report draws from the experiences of leading countries in this field.