The paper takes stock of the impact of the global financial crisis that began in late 2007 on banking sectors of Asian low-income countries, by exploring bank-level data provided by Bankscope. The paper examines three key channels of possible crisis spillovers: exposures to (i) valuation changes...

This paper examines the impact of trade costs on real exchange rate volatility. The channel is examined by constructing a two-country Ricardian model of trade, based on the work of Dornbusch, Fischer, and Samuelson (1977), which shows that higher trade costs result in a larger nontradable...

This paper examines the impact of trade costs on real exchange rate volatility. We incorporate a multi-country Ricardian model of trade, based on the work of Eaton and Kortum (2002), into a macroeconomic model to show how bilateral real exchange rate volatility depends on relative technological...

The resilience displayed by the New Zealand economy throughout the turbulence is a clear testimony of the benefits of the economic reforms. Executive Directors appreciated these developments, and cautioned against reforms that could reduce labor and product market flexibility, and suggested that...

This Selected Issues paper discusses the issues related to reforms and growth in New Zealand. The paper analyzes the record on growth and productivity outcomes in a comparative perspective. The study provides a brief history of the industrial relations in New Zealand leading up the passage of...

This Selected Issues paper focuses on the issues of fiscal policy, rebalancing, and growth in New Zealand. The paper discusses that a key policy challenge for New Zealand is to rebalance the economy and reduce external vulnerabilities. It provides model-based estimates of the potential...

New Zealand has experienced a decade-long robust economic expansion, owing to its sound macroeconomic policies and structural reforms, but resource constraints have emerged. Executive Directors welcomed the policy settings, supported by the anticipated evolution of external and global...

New Zealand rode out the global crisis better than most advanced economies, thanks to strong demand from fast-growing Asian markets and the robust Australian economy, a flexible exchange rate, the absence of a banking crisis, and significant and effective policy easing. This 2010 Article IV...

This Selected Issues paper analyzes the underlying factors that explain the behavior of the Kiwi dollar. The findings suggest that the factors influencing the New Zealand dollar have been changing. The paper discusses that as New Zealand has become more integrated in global capital markets over...