Stabilization Policies in the World Economy: Scope and Skepticism

Throughout the industrialized world, macroeconomic performance since the mid-1970s has been very poor, and the prospects in the near term remain bleak. While there is no consensus among macroeconomists regarding the diagnosis (or cure) of these ills, the major competing schools of thought have focused most of their blame on macroeconomic policy. This paper summarizes a series of studies, in collaboration with Michael Bruno, suggesting rather that supply shocks coupled with real wage rigidities are a central source of the poor macroeconomic performance. Various hypotheses are mentioned as a source for the resistance to real wage cuts, and some illustrations of the policy implications of supply shocks are provided.

The Bolivian Hyperinflation and Stabilization

Chapter 1 gives a brief introduction to the Bolivian economy. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the political economy of macroeconomic policymaking in Bolivia since the 1952 Revolution. Great stress is put on the weakness of fiscal institutions in the face of heavy social and sectoral demands. Chapter 3 highlights some of the main directions of development policy during 1952-85, especially involving public investment spending and trade policy. In chapter 4 we consider important characteristics of Bolivia's international trade, focusing both on structural features (e.g., the heavy dependence on a small number of primary commodities), as well as policy choices. Chapter 5 describes the process of foreign debt accumulation, which was the counterpart of the large budget deficits of the public sector in the 1970s and early 1980s. Chapter 6 lays out the dynamics of the hyperinflation during 1982-85, focusing on the complex causal links among the budget deficit, the money supply, the exchange rate, and the price level. In chapter 7 we detail the process of stabilization since 1985 and discuss some of the general lessons about ending high inflation that might be applied to other economies in the region. Chapter 8 describes the novel arrangements that Bolivia has negotiated in order to escape the severe overhang of external debt. In the concluding chapter 9, we discuss briefly the challenges facing Bolivia in the future, once stabilization has been accomplished.

Managing the LDC Debt Crisis

macroeconomics, LDC, debt crisis

Trade and Exchange Rate Policies in Growth-Oriented Adjustment Programs

The search for "growth-oriented adjustment programs" reflects a widespread malaise concerning IMF stabilization programs in countries suffering from external debt crises. A new orthodoxy is emerging from this search, which links recovery in the debtor countries to a shift to "outward-oriented" development, based on trade liberalization. This paper describes many important limitations of this new orthodoxy. The heavy emphasis on liberalization is a historical, and indeed runs contrary to the experiences of the successful East Asian economies. It also distracts attention from more pressing needs of the debtor economies.

International lender of last resort? what are the alternatives?

International finance ; International Monetary Fund

Aspects of the Current Account Behavior of OECD Economies

This essay examines some aspects of capital flows within the OECD, and outlines a framework for analyzing current account movements. In both the theoretical and empirical sections, I argue for the importance of including investment and growth in analyses of the current account. I present empirical evidence confirming that shifts in investment rates explain a large part of recent OECD current account behavior. In addition, the links in theory and practice between exchange rates and the current account are scrutinized. A link between current account deficits and depreciation is evident for the large OECD economies, but not for many smaller European economies. It appears that the exchange rate behavior in the smaller economies can be explained by specific exchange rate policies in these economies.

Creditor panics: Causes and remedies

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