Bolivia—another strike from the resources curse?
An IMF study fears Bolivia's gas boom could explode. It wants the government to change tack
Bolivia is under pressure from the International Monetary Fund to offer tax and other incentives to attract more foreign companies and speed up the exploration and development of new gas reserves before existing fields run dry. The IMF is also concerned at the country's fast-rising public debt as President Evo Morales's long-serving socialist government continues to spend heavily despite plummeting revenues from oil and gas exports. In its latest report on the financial health of one of South America's poorest countries, the IMF also expressed doubts about the long-term focus of state-owned oil company YPFB on "exploitation rather than exploration". It also has reservations about Bolivia's b

Also in this section
10 April 2025
Technology, policy and narrative are the three biggest factors that could change the course of our 2050 outlook
10 April 2025
Latin America’s largest economy expects big uptick in crude this year with the imminent arrival of several FPSOs
9 April 2025
A rising global population and greater urbanisation will mean increasing demand for energy, but what will be up and down in the mix? Petroleum Economist looks out to 2050 again in the second part of our long-term outlook
9 April 2025
AI is powering the Middle East & North Africa’s digital transformation, but can the region meet soaring energy demand sustainably? Small modular reactors may hold the key