Synonyms and Antonyms — quick quiz

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows: "The government's recent policy reforms have been met with significant approbation from international financial institutions. Economists believe that these measures will ameliorate the country's fiscal deficit, which has been a persistent concern for the past decade. However, critics argue that the austerity measures may exacerbate unemployment in the short term." Question: Which word is the closest in meaning to the word 'ameliorate' as used in the passage?