Conditions necessary for the sustainability of an emerging area: the importance of banking and financial regional criteria

The last financial crises have revealed the vulnerability of many emerging countries. Yet, within an economically integrated area, some groups of countries have been spared the disastrous consequences of these crises. The purpose of this article is to underline the similarities between these countries in order to draw up a set of regional criteria that would protect an area against speculative attacks. Using a probit analysis, we show that the convergence of some banking and financial indicators towards reference levels guarantees theconfidence of international lenders, which in turn limits financial contagion. A narrow margin between the amount of external debt, in particular the short term debt of the country and a reference level constitutes a protection against the risk of illiquidity. Similarly, a low domestic credit in comparison with the international reserves of the economy is also an indicator of thesustainability of an area for international lenders. It is these factors that have ensured the stock exchange stability that some emerging areas have enjoyed during the different crisis episodesfundamental contagion; probit analysis; regional criteria

The spread of international financial shocks to Asean countries

This article focuses on the reaction of Asean economies to international financial shocks. The crises in emerging markets at the end of the last century underlined the vulnerability of emerging Asean economies to international financial fluctuations and a lack of sustainability in their exchange rate regime. A Structural VAR model is used to analyze the efficiency of the measures adopted by these countries, after this crisis episode, to protect their economies against speculative attacks. The results reveal that the impact of the current subprime crisis on emerging Asean countries is less significant than that observed in industrialized ones.Asean countries, international financial fluctuations, macroeconomic impact, regional integration, SVAR Model

Fragmentation and immiserising specialisation : the case of the textile and clothing sector

With production activity tending rapidly towards international fragmentation, this study examines the consequences for labour countries of the forms of specialisation brought about by fragmentation processes. It further addresses the risk that fragmented sectors may become excluded from greater developments within the manufacturing industry as a whole. An empirical analysis using panel data reveals that, contrary to expectation, the textile and clothing sector in labour countries does not always reap the positive benefits of this form of international trade integration. Rather, we observe a phenomenon of immiserising specialisation, due to a drop in relative wages within this sector.offshoring ; outsourcing ; fragmentation ; immiserising specialisation ; relative wages ; textile and clothing sector

L'impact des chocs externes dans les économies du Mercosur: un modèle VAR Structurel

Cette étude vise à déterminer les causes de la déstabilisation des pays du Mercosur ces dernières années, à l'origine du flottement des monnaies. A l'aide d'un VAR Structurel, nous analysons l'impact d'une politique monétaire restrictive des Etats-Unis, d'une baisse de la confiance des marchés financiers, et d'une hausse des prix mondiaux des produits agricoles sur les secteurs réel, financier et monétaire de ces pays. La vulnérabilité des économies à ces chocs révèle le défaut de soutenabilité des régimes de change en place durant cette période. En outre, bien que les réactions des pays à chaque type de choc soient proches, des divergences subsistent du fait de l'hétérogénéité des structures macroéconomiques et financières des pays.chocs internationaux; Mercosur; modele VAR structurel; restrictions contemporaines et de long terme; taux de change; regime de change; chocs

L'impact des chocs externes dans les économies du Mercosur: un modèle VAR Structurel

National audienceCette étude vise à déterminer les causes de la déstabilisation des pays du Mercosur ces dernières années, à l'origine du flottement des monnaies. A l'aide d'un VAR Structurel, nous analysons l'impact d'une politique monétaire restrictive des Etats-Unis, d'une baisse de la confiance des marchés financiers, et d'une hausse des prix mondiaux des produits agricoles sur les secteurs réel, financier et monétaire de ces pays. La vulnérabilité des économies à ces chocs révèle le défaut de soutenabilité des régimes de change en place durant cette période. En outre, bien que les réactions des pays à chaque type de choc soient proches, des divergences subsistent du fait de l'hétérogénéité des structures macroéconomiques et financières des pays

The spread of international financial shocks to Asean countries

Working Paper GATE 2009-28This article focuses on the reaction of Asean economies to international financial shocks. The crises in emerging markets at the end of the last century underlined the vulnerability of emerging Asean economies to international financial fluctuations and a lack of sustainability in their exchange rate regime. A Structural VAR model is used to analyze the efficiency of the measures adopted by these countries, after this crisis episode, to protect their economies against speculative attacks. The results reveal that the impact of the current subprime crisis on emerging Asean countries is less significant than that observed in industrialized ones

Le projet d'union monétaire dans le Mercosur : Etude de la position actuelle des pays par rapport à une carte de critères de soutenabilité

Les crises financières récentes ont fragilisé les économies du Mercosur. Pour juger de leur évolution depuis 2001, cet article étudie la position actuelle de ces pays par rapport à une nouvelle carte de critères de soutenabilité venant en complément de la théorie des zones monétaires optimales, en y intégrant une nouvelle dimension financière et régionale. La méthode multicritère d'aide à la décision, transposée à l'échelle macroéconomique et financière, permet ainsi de souligner les efforts entrepris par un noyau de pays dans la perspective de la mise en place d'une union monétaire

Conditions necessary for the sustainability of an emerging area: the importance of banking and financial regional criteria

International audienceThe last financial crises have revealed the vulnerability of many emerging countries. Yet, within an economically integrated area, some groups of countries have been spared the disastrous consequences of these crises. The purpose of this article is to underline the similarities between these countries in order to draw up a set of regional criteria that would protect an area against speculative attacks. Using a probit analysis, we show that the convergence of some banking and financial indicators towards reference levels guarantees theconfidence of international lenders, which in turn limits financial contagion. A narrow margin between the amount of external debt, in particular the short term debt of the country and a reference level constitutes a protection against the risk of illiquidity. Similarly, a low domestic credit in comparison with the international reserves of the economy is also an indicator of thesustainability of an area for international lenders. It is these factors that have ensured the stock exchange stability that some emerging areas have enjoyed during the different crisis episode

A closer look at financial development and income distribution

Working paper GATE 2011-04International audienceThis paper analyzes the under-investigated relationship uniting financial development and income distribution. We use a novel approach taking into account for the first time the specific channels linking banks, capital markets and income inequality, the time-varying nature of the relationship, and reciprocal causality. We construct a set of annual indicators of banking and capital market size, robustness, efficiency and international integration. We then estimate the determinants of income distribution using a panel Bayesian structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model, for a set of 49 countries over the 1994-2002 period. We uncover a significant causality running from financial sector development to income distribution. In addition, the banking sector seems to exert a stronger impact on inequality. Finally, the relationship appears to depend on characteristics of the financial sector, rather than on its size