Contents -- I. Introduction -- II. Literature Review -- III. Stylized Facts on LIC Landscape and Fund Financing -- IV. Potential Economic Determinants of Participation in IMF Arrangements -- V. Methodology -- A. Identification of the Dependent Variable: Approval of IMF Arrangements -- B. Econometric Specification -- VI. Results -- A. Estimation Results: Benchmark Specifications -- B. Goodness of Fit -- C. The Threshold Probability Analysis -- D. Effects of Explanatory Variables on the Probability of Financing Events -- VII. Robustness Checks -- A. Logit versus Probit Model -- B. Alternative Probit Estimators for the Country Specific Heterogeneity -- C. Is There a Persistence Caused by Previous Fund Programs? -- D. Natural Disasters: Why Omitted from the Financing Events? -- E. The Effect of Export Concentration: Non-oil Commodities -- F. Fund Financing to CFA versus Non-CFA Countries -- VIII. Concluding Remarks -- Appendices -- References -- Figures -- 1. Fund Financing to LICs for Policy and/or Exogenous Shocks (1980-2008) -- 2. Low Income Countries: Selected Economic Indicators (1980-2007) -- 3. Distribution of Reserve Coverage in the Sample Prior to Financing Events versus Normal Episodes: CFA versus Non-CFA Countries -- 4. Threshold Probability Analysis -- 5. Model I: Counterfactual Simulations-Effects of Explanatory Variables on the Probability of Fund Financing -- 6. Model II: Counterfactual Simulations-Effects of Explanatory Variables on the Probability of Fund Financing -- 7. Comparison of Predicted Probabilities: Probit versus Logit Estimates -- Tables -- 1. Estimation Results: Demand for the Fund Financing in Response to Shocks -- 2. Predicted Probabilities (Percentiles) -- 3. Values of Explanatory Variables in Counterfactual Simulations -- 4. Financing for Natural Disasters: Estimation Results.

5. The Effect of Export Concentration: Non-oil Commodities -- 6. Model I: The Fund Financing to Non-CFA Countries -- Box 1. Why A Composite Indicator for Macroeconomic Stability? -- Appendices I. Data -- Appendix Tables -- A1. Country List: Estimation Sample -- A2. Model I Policy and Exogenous Shocks: Estimation Results for Alternative Specifications -- A3. Model II Exogenous Shocks: Estimation Results for Alternative Specifications -- A4. Model I Policy and Exogenous Shocks: Comparison of Alternative Estimators and Average Partial Effects -- A5. Model II Exogenous Shocks: Comparison of Alternative Estimators and Average Partial Effects -- A6. Effect of Previous Fund Engagement.