This paper considers the problem of allocation of investment for a debtor country that faces a ceiling on the amount of foreign debt it can accumulate. It shows that it is optimal for the debtor country to create a more open economy by favoring investment in the export sector over investment in...

Using Chilean data, we document that for resource-rich small open economies the effects of terms of trade shocks on the wage gap (between skilled and unskilled workers) depend on factor intensities in the non-tradable sector, following the model in Galiani, Heymann, and Magud (2010). For a...

In pursuing a steady-state reserve target, policymakers in small open economies can resort to devaluation or to temporary increases in public saving. This paper contrasts the dynamic implications of these alternative policies in a model with optimizing agents who possess perfect foresight. In...

This paper shows that the presence of quotas on imported inputs that are based on installed capacity can lead to capacity underutilization in manufacturing industries of developing countries. A replacement of such quotas, by tariffs leads to full capacity utilization under assumptions of both...

Updates the Board on progress in the WTO negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda in the run-up to the Hong Kong SAR Ministerial in December, and presents proposals on aid for trade to be submitted to the Development Committee and International Monetary and Finance Committee in September...

This paper summarizes recent developments in the Doha Round negotiations, and aid for trade. As requested by the Development Committee last September, it reviews existing mechanisms for cross-country and regional aid for trade needs. It proposes possible options to overcome the coordination and...

At their 2005 Spring meetings, the Development Committee and IMFC called on the Bank and Fund to work with others to develop more detailed proposals, for consideration at the Annual Meetings, to help developing countries adjust to and take advantage of the Doha Round. In response, Bank and Fund...

This paper develops a new macrofinance model for small open economies, allowing the investigation of Mauritius''s experience with ''inflation targeting lite'' as described in Stone (2003). It finds that this monetary policy regime has been associated with a general reduction in inflation,...

The small states of the Asia and Pacific region face unique challenges in raising their growth potential and living standards. These countries are particularly vulnerable because of their small populations, geographical isolation and dispersion, narrow export and production bases, lack of...