Download or read book Exchange Controls and Parallel Market Economies in Sub Saharan Africa written by Ernesto May and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper provides a theoretical framework to understand the way in which exchange controls modify the behavior of the different agents in the economy, leading to the creation of a parallel market economy. It gives the necessary theoretical elements to analyze this parallel market economy and provides a simple methodology to obtain relevant quantitative information about it. Finally, the paper elaborates on some of the policy implications of the existence of a parallel market economy. The model developed shows that the parallel market activities can be explained through the optimizing behavior of exporters and importers, which determines the amount of import and export smuggling, the level of the rent-seeking activity, and the black market exchange rate that is consistent with an equilibrium position where no one has any more incentives to move from their attained position. A method to detect the presence, and assess the magnitude of the parallel market economy, as well as to explain its behavior quantitatively, is then developed and applied to the case of Ghana.
Download or read book Parallel Currency Markets in Developing Countries written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1990-12-01 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The paper reviews recent theoretical and empirical developments in the analysis of informal currency markets in developing countries. The basic characteristics of these markets are highlighted, and alternative analytical models to explain them are discussed. The implications for exchange rate policy —including imposition of foreign exchange restrictions, devaluation, and unification of exchange markets— in countries with a sizable parallel market are also examined.
Download or read book Adjustment in Africa written by and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Parallel Exchange Rates in Developing Countries written by Miguel Alberto Kiguel and published by Palgrave MacMillan. This book was released on 1997 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The evidence of black market exchange rate systems and their impact on macroeconomic performance is well documented in this fully researched study of the problem. The book offers policy conclusions after assessing the evidence.
Download or read book Sub Saharan Africa written by World Bank and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 3. Investing in people.
Download or read book The Informal Economy in Sub Saharan Africa written by Leandro Medina and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2017-07-10 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The multiple indicator-multiple cause (MIMIC) method is a well-established tool for measuring informal economic activity. However, it has been criticized because GDP is used both as a cause and indicator variable. To address this issue, this paper applies for the first time the light intensity approach (instead of GDP). It also uses the Predictive Mean Matching (PMM) method to estimate the size of the informal economy for Sub-Saharan African countries over 24 years. Results suggest that informal economy in Sub-Saharan Africa remains among the largest in the world, although this share has been very gradually declining. It also finds significant heterogeneity, with informality ranging from a low of 20 to 25 percent in Mauritius, South Africa and Namibia to a high of 50 to 65 percent in Benin, Tanzania and Nigeria.
Download or read book The Monetary Geography of Africa written by Paul R. Masson and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2004-11-30 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Africa is working toward the goal of creating a common currency that would serve as a symbol of African unity. The advantages of a common currency include lower transaction costs, increased stability, and greater insulation of central banks from pressures to provide monetary financing. Disadvantages relate to asymmetries among countries, especially in their terms of trade and in the degree of fiscal discipline. More disciplined countries will not want to form a union with countries whose excessive spending puts upward pressure on the central bank's monetary expansion. In T he Monetary Geography of Africa, Paul Masson and Catherine Pattillo review the history of monetary arrangements on the continent and analyze the current situation and prospects for further integration. They apply lessons from both experience and theory that lead to a number of conclusions. To begin with, West Africa faces a major problem because Nigeria has both asymmetric terms of trade—it is a large oil exporter while its potential partners are oil importers—and most important, large fiscal imbalances. Secondly, a monetary union among all eastern or southern African countries seems infeasible at this stage, since a number of countries suffer from the effects of civil conflicts and drought and are far from achieving the macroeconomic stability of South Africa. Lastly, the plan by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to create a common currency seems to be generally compatible with other initiatives that could contribute to greater regional solidarity. However, economic gains would likely favor Kenya, which, unlike the other two countries, has substantial exports to its neighbors, and this may constrain the political will needed to proceed. A more promising strategy for monetary integration would be to build on existing monetary unions—the CFA franc zone in western and central Africa and the Common Monetary Area in southern Africa. Masson and Pattillo argue that the goal of a creating a s
Download or read book Exchange Rate Misalignment in Developing Countries written by Sebastian Edwards and published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This book was released on 1988 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This article analyzes the theory of equilibrium real exchange rates and defines misalignment as a deviation of the real exchange rate (RER) from its equilibrium level. The role of macroeconomic policies is then analyzed under three alternative nominal exchange rate regimes: predetermined nominal exchange rates; floating nominal rates; and dual or black market nominal exchange rates. This discussion points out how inconsistent macroeconomic policies often lead to real exchange rate misalignment. Corrective measures, including nominal devaluation and several alternative approaches, are then evaluated.
Download or read book Recognizing Reality Unification of Official and Parallel Market Exchange Rates written by Mr.Simon T Gray and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2021-02-05 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some central banks have maintained overvalued official exchange rates, while unable to ensure that supply of foreign exchange meets legitimate demand for current account transactions at that price. A parallel exchange rate market develops, in such circumstances; and when the spread between the official and parallel rates is both substantial and sustained, price levels in the economy typically reflect the parallel market exchange rate. “Recognizing reality” by allowing economic agents to use a market clearing rate benefits economic activity without necessarily leading to more inflation. But a unified, market-clearing exchange rate will not stabilize without a supportive fiscal and monetary context. A number of country case studies are included; my thanks to Jie Ren for pulling together all the data for the country case studies, and the production of the charts.
Download or read book Economic Reforms in Ghana written by Ernest Aryeetey and published by Africa World Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reviews the performance of the Ghanaian economy for the period 1983 to 1991, aimed at assessing the impact of structural adjustment policies in different areas of the economy.
Download or read book Parallel Exchange Rates in Developing Countries written by Miguel A. Kiguel and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-27 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: '...the most definitive study of the subject, assembling an all-star cast to address the many outstanding questions and succeeding beyond expectations in combining elegant theory and state of the art econometrics to reach very sensible policy conclusions.' - Mohsin S. Khan, Deputy Director, Research Department, International Monetary Fund ' This book fills an important vacuum in the literature of the economic consequences of parallel markets and should prove of great value to students of economic development and to policy-makers in developing countries as they struggle to reform their exchange rate and trade incentive systems. Here they will find all that they need to know.' - Vittorio Corbo, Professor of Economics, Universidad Catolica de Chile 'A most comprehensive treatment of the relationships between parallel foreign exchange markets and macroeconomic policies, both across countries and over time. The book substantially enhances our understanding of how these systems work in practice and will be of great interest to policy-makers, researchers and graduate students of economic policy.' - Samuel M. Wangwe, Professor of Economics, University of Dar es Salaam and Executive Director, Economic and Social Research Foundation, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania This book examines extensive empirical evidence on the macroeconomic implications of parallel exchange rates in developing countries. Eight case-studies from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey provide detailed evidence on the emergence of parallel exchange rates, their impact on macroeconomic performance, and the criteria for successful exchange-rate unification. A chapter on European dual exchange rates summarizes the contrasting experience of industrial countries. An overview chapter lays out the analytical framework, assesses the evidence, and draws policy conclusions.
Download or read book Remittance Markets in Africa written by Sanket Mohapatra and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Remittances sent by African migrants have become an important source of external finance for countries in the Sub-Saharan African region. In many African countries, these flows are larger than foreign direct investment and portfolio debt and equity flows. In some cases, they are similar in size to official aid from multilateral and bilateral donors. Remittance markets in Africa, however, remain less developed than other regions. The share of informal or unrecorded remittances is among the highest for Sub-Saharan African countries. Remittance costs tend to be significantly higher in Africa both for sending remittances from outside the region and for within-Africa (South-South) remittance corridors. At the same time, the remittance landscape in Africa is rapidly changing with the introduction of new remittance technologies, in particular mobile money transfers and branchless banking. This book presents findings of surveys of remittance service providers conducted in eight Sub-Saharan African countries and in three key destination countries. It looks at issues relating to costs, competition, innovation and regulation, and discusses policy options for leveraging remittances for development in Africa.
Download or read book Exchange Rate Volatility and Trade Flows Some New Evidence written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2004-05-19 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NULL
Download or read book The Supply Response to Exchange Rate Reform in Sub Saharan Africa written by Mustapha Rouis and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1994 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Inequality and Fiscal Policy written by Mr.Benedict J. Clements and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2015-09-21 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The sizeable increase in income inequality experienced in advanced economies and many parts of the world since the 1990s and the severe consequences of the global economic and financial crisis have brought distributional issues to the top of the policy agenda. The challenge for many governments is to address concerns over rising inequality while simultaneously promoting economic efficiency and more robust economic growth. The book delves into this discussion by analyzing fiscal policy and its link with inequality. Fiscal policy is the government’s most powerful tool for addressing inequality. It affects households ‘consumption directly (through taxes and transfers) and indirectly (via incentives for work and production and the provision of public goods and individual services such as education and health). An important message of the book is that growth and equity are not necessarily at odds; with the appropriate mix of policy instruments and careful policy design, countries can in many cases achieve better distributional outcomes and improve economic efficiency. Country studies (on the Netherlands, China, India, Republic of Congo, and Brazil) demonstrate the diversity of challenges across countries and their differing capacity to use fiscal policy for redistribution. The analysis presented in the book builds on and extends work done at the IMF, and also includes contributions from leading academics.
Download or read book Adjustment in Africa written by Ishrat Husain and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1994-01-01 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World Bank Environment Paper 4. This survey describes the factors that affect tree cultivation and clearance by Kenyan farmers. These factors include agricultural conditions, product markets, the family life cycle, income, and changing demands for household labor--especially demands caused by labor migration. The author explains why removing structural constraints on rural land markets might reduce the incentive to start and maintain woodlots. He also details why policies that seek to create forests may conflict with programs that generate rural employment.
Download or read book Economic Management in Sub Saharan Africa written by and published by East African Publishers. This book was released on with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
