As if it were still necessary, events unfolding in Asia for over a year reconfirm the critical importance of a sound, efficient financial sector for economic development and growth. Indeed, a growing number of studies underscore the risks that a vulnerable financial sector pose for macroeconomic...

It is often argued that deregulation of international transactions and its effects on the globalization of financial markets is behind the decline in the attractiveness of fixed exchange rate regimes. We argue that, instead, much of the recently observed decrease in the level of capital controls...