Over the last two decades, macroeconomic cycles were frequently associated with boom--bust cycles in bank lending and asset prices, often followed by financial instability. In this paper we argue that (i) the new pattern of macroeconomic cycles is partly the result of banking-sector...

At what level should inflation be a concern? From a growth perspective, high and rising levels of inflation as in 2006–2008 raise concerns that inflation, if uncontained, could undermine growth. On the other hand, higher levels of inflation could create more space for using monetary policy to...

This paper documents the expanding economic linkages between low-income countries (LICs) and a narrow group of “Emerging Market leaders” that have become major players in inter- national trade and financial flows. VAR models show that these linkages have increased the share of growth...

This paper offers an original survey of the Malaysian crisis and the effects of the consequent imposition of capital controls by authorities in September 1998 and of their subsequent relaxation in February and September 1999. We identify Malaysia's unique strengths and weaknesses before the...

The economies of the Arab states of the Gulf have gone through considerable changes in the last decade, spurred by high oil prices and ambitious diversification plans. Large-scale immigration provided the labour force while capital inflows and financial development leveraged oil wealth to...