Does the fiscal multiplier depend on the exchange rate regime and, if so, how strongly? To address this question, we first estimate a panel vector autoregression (VAR) model on time-series data for OECD countries. We identify the effects of unanticipated government spending shocks in countries...

This paper provides a theory of the international business cycle grounded on firms' entry and sticky prices. It shows that under simple monetary rules pro-cyclical entry and counter-cyclical markups can generate fluctuations in macroeconomic aggregates and trade variables as large as those...

According to conventional wisdom, fiscal policy is more effective under a fixed than under a flexible exchange rate regime. In this paper we reconsider the transmission of shocks to government spending across these regimes within a standard new-Keynesian model of a small open economy. Because of...

Pegging in a coordinated way to a regional basket currency is considered by many as optimal for east-Asian countries. By contrast, according to existing empirical studies, these countries have most often relied on non-cooperative United States dollar or G3 pegs. We show for the first time that...

Financial dollarization in Bolivia is near complete (over 90% of total deposits and loans). The paper gives an inventory of the problems caused by de facto dollarization to actual policy making. The phenomenon has deep roots and was engendered by high inflation that reached hyperinflationary...

A traditional argument in favor of flexible exchange rates is that they insulate output better from real shocks, because the exchange rate can adjust and stabilize demand for domestic goods through expenditure switching. This argument is weakened in models with high foreign currency debt and low...

This paper quantifies the relative contribution of domestic, regional and international factors to the fluctuation of domestic output in six key Latin American (LA) countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru. Using quarterly data over the period 1980:1-2003:4, a multi-variate,...

The paper analyzes the changing INR trends over the reform period, in the context of fundamental determinants of exchange rates. In the early reform years the chief concern was to limit appreciation from inflows, and from higher domestic inflation, given the trade deficit. So short-term nominal...

The recent global financial crisis has sparked a renewal of debate on the choice of exchange rate regimes. Creating a tripartite regime classification, the present study examines their determinants for 137 nations spanning the period 1999–2011. I find that trade openness, economic development,...