Download or read book Exchange Rate Policy and Devaluation in Malawi written by Karl Pauw and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2013-03-19 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Malawian economy has in recent months been plagued by a severe foreign exchange crisis, fueled in part by a steadily rising import bill, sharp successive declines in tobacco export prices, the suspension of direct government budget support from several development partners in 2011, and an all-time low in international investor confidence. Up until the regime change in April 2012, the government resisted calls for a devaluation, which at the time resulted in a thriving parallel foreign exchange market. At its peak, the Malawi kwacha was trading at a premium of up to 100 percent in this secondary market. Economic theory shows that such a situation has adverse implications for an economy in terms of the balance-of-payments adjustment process and income distribution in the economy. Those with access to foreign exchange at the official rate are able to extract rents by selling foreign currency or imported goods at inflated prices. Imports sold domestically are then often valued at the parallel exchange rate rather than the official rate, with the parallel market rate serving as the only adjustment mechanism through which equilibrium can be restored in the balance of payments. This has a significant impact on domestic inflation to the detriment of consumers, while those with preferential access to foreign exchange at the official rate capture large rents. A simulation exercise using an economywide model for Malawi considers how the economy responds to different types of foreign exchange shocks under fixed and flexible exchange rate regimes. While the foreign exchange crisis in itself has severe negative implications for the economy, our results suggest that the economy responds much better to these types of shocks under a flexible exchange rate regime (that is, devaluations or a free-floating currency). Our main simulation shows that under the latter policy, gross domestic product growth, although negative, is 1.5 percentage points higher than under a fixed exchange rate policy. Similarly, poverty is 6.9 percentage points lower. A relaxation of the exchange rate policy, however, is only part of the solution; in the longer run, good governance and sound macroeconomic policy that is conducive to growth are needed to address the underlying structural problems in the economy that also contribute to foreign exchange shortages.
Download or read book The Role of Exchange Rate and Monetary Policy in the Monetary Approach to the Balance of Payments written by Exley B. D. Silumbu and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Understanding Inflation in Malawi written by Dong Frank Wu and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2017-03-13 with total page 30 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper focuses on the role of the pass-through of the exchange rate and policydeterminants in driving inflation. Using linear and nonlinear frameworks, the paper finds: (i) after the switch to a floating exchange rate regime in 2012, nonfood prices not only directly influence headline inflation, but also have an significant impact on food inflation via second round effects; (ii) the pass-through of the exchange rate to headline inflation has jumped from zero to 11 percent under the floating regime, after controlling for other factors; (iii) the improved significance of T-bill rates in shaping inflation flags its importance in Malawi’s monetary framework although the monetary transmission mechanism needs further strengthening; (iv) the increased impact of broad money underscores the necessity for fiscal discipline and central bank independence.
Download or read book Estimation of the Equilibrium Real Exchange Rate for Malawi written by Mr.Johan Mathisen and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2003-05-01 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper computes Malawi's equilibrium real exchange rate as a function of its fundamentals as derived from economic theory. It finds evidence in favor of the equilibrium approach to exchange rate determination, with several variables (particularly government consumption and real per capita growth) found to drive movements in the time-varying equilibrium real exchange rate. The results also indicate that following a shock there is a rapid reversion of the real exchange rate to its time-varying equilibrium, with a half-life of reversion of about 11 months.
Download or read book Exchange Rate Policy and Export Performance in Malawi written by Judith Jane Zulu and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Foreign Exchange and Exchange Rate Policy Issues in Eastern and Southern Africa written by H. P. Bandawe and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Look at Exchange Rate and Monetary Policy in Malawi written by Kisu Simwaka and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The paper assesses whether the exchange rate is affected by monetary policy and whether these effects are permanent or transitory. The paper takes the position that monetary policy is very crucial to exchange rate management. A real effective exchange rate model is estimated to generate real effective exchange rate misalignment. Causality tests are performed between several measures of monetary shocks (consistent with other empirical works) and the real effective exchange rate misalignment. The results show that excess money supply predicts real effective exchange rate misalignment with no feedback effects. In the second stage, a model of nominal exchange rate is estimated. Since we find co-integration, the model is estimated with first difference of the non-stationary variables, level variables and the co-integrating vector. Results indicate that a nominal exchange rate over the period is determined by real income growth, rate of inflation, money supply growth and real effective exchange rate misalignment. The adjustment speed from the error correction term is consistent with a market-determined exchange rate responding to excess money supply.
Download or read book Exchange Rate Policy and Adjustment in Africa written by Pierre Jacquemot and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Retrospective on the Bretton Woods System written by Michael D. Bordo and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2007-12-01 with total page 692 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the close of the Second World War, when industrialized nations faced serious trade and financial imbalances, delegates from forty-four countries met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, in order to reconstruct the international monetary system. In this volume, three generations of scholars and policy makers, some of whom participated in the 1944 conference, consider how the Bretton Woods System contributed to unprecedented economic stability and rapid growth for 25 years and discuss the problems that plagued the system and led to its eventual collapse in 1971. The contributors explore adjustment, liquidity, and transmission under the System; the way it affected developing countries; and the role of the International Monetary Fund in maintaining a stable rate. The authors examine the reasons for the System's success and eventual collapse, compare it to subsequent monetary regimes, such as the European Monetary System, and address the possibility of a new fixed exchange rate for today's world.
Download or read book Malawi written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 1996-08-26 with total page 77 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper describes economic developments in Malawi during the 1990s. Malawi’s economy began to deteriorate in late 1991 as a result of a series of exogenous shocks. These shocks included two major droughts, a severe weakening in the terms of trade, and a suspension of donor nonhumanitarian aid owing to concern over governance. As a consequence, the average real GDP growth fell from 6 percent a year in 1989–91 to -3 percent a year in 1992–94. Savings and investment also fell considerably.
Download or read book Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions 2013 written by International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2013-12-15 with total page 105 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the 64th issue of the AREAER. It provides a description of the foreign exchange arrangements, exchange and trade systems, and capital controls of all IMF member countries. It also provides information on the operation of foreign exchange markets and controls on international trade. It describes controls on capital transactions and measures implemented in the financial sector, including prudential measures. In addition, it reports on exchange measures imposed by member countries for security reasons. A single table provides a snapshot of the exchange and trade systems of all IMF member countries. The Overview describes in detail how the general trend toward foreign exchange liberalization continued during 2012, alongside a strengthening of the financial sector regulatory framework. The AREAER is available in several formats. The Overview in print and online, and the detailed information for each of the 191 member countries and territories is included on a CD that accompanies the printed Overview and in an online database, AREAER Online. In addition to the information on the exchange and trade system of IMF member countries in 2012, AREAER Online contains historical data published in previous issues of the AREAER. It is searchable by year, country, and category of measure and allows cross country comparisons for time series.
Download or read book Malawi written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2012-08-03 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Malawian economy is slowly recovering, thanks to corrective measures such as the floating exchange rate regime and liberated current account transactions. Stringent fiscal discipline, restrained monetary policies, and boosting of international reserves have been suggested as measures for controlling inflation and stabilizing the macroeconomy. Operation power and freedom for results-based management (RBM) and implementation of Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS-II) are also suggested by the Executive Board. Measures to ensure revenue gain concurrent with spending have also been recommended.
Download or read book Evolution and Performance of Exchange Rate Regimes written by Mr.Kenneth Rogoff and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2003-12-01 with total page 85 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using recent advances in the classification of exchange rate regimes, this paper finds no support for the popular bipolar view that countries will tend over time to move to the polar extremes of free float or rigid peg. Rather, intermediate regimes have shown remarkable durability. The analysis suggests that as economies mature, the value of exchange rate flexibility rises. For countries at a relatively early stage of financial development and integration, fixed or relatively rigid regimes appear to offer some anti-inflation credibility gain without compromising growth objectives. As countries develop economically and institutionally, there appear to be considerable benefits to more flexible regimes. For developed countries that are not in a currency union, relatively flexible exchange rate regimes appear to offer higher growth without any cost in credibility.
Download or read book An Empirical Assessment of the Exchange Rate Pass through in Mozambique written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2021-05-06 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Determining the magnitude and speed of the exchange rate passthrough (ERPT) to inflation has been of paramount importance for policy-makers in developed and emerging economies. This paper estimates the exchange rate passthrough in Mozambique using econometric techniques on a sample spanning from 2001 to 2019. Results suggest that the ERPT is assymetric, sizable and fast, with 50 percent of the exchange rate variations passing through to prices in less than six months. Policy-makers should continue to pursue low and stable inflation and develop a strong track record of prudent macroeconomic policies for the ERPT to decline.
Download or read book Currencies Commodities and Consumption written by Kenneth W. Clements and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-31 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses economic issues associated with exchange rates, commodity prices, the economic size of countries and alternatives to PPP exchange rates.
Download or read book Dedollarization written by Annamaria Kokenyne and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2010-08-01 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper provides a summary of the key policies that encourage dedollarization. It focuses on cases in which the authorities’ intention is to gain greater control of monetary policy and draws on the experiences of countries that have successfully dedollarized. Unlike previous work on the subject, this paper examines both macroeconomic stabilization policies and microeconomic measures, such as prudential regulation of the financial system. This study is also the first attempt to make extensive use of the foreign exchange regulation data reported in the IMF’s Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions. The main conclusion is that durable dedollarization depends on a credible disinflation plan and specific microeconomic measures.
Download or read book The Child Health Implications of Privatizing Africa s Urban Water Supply written by Katrina Kosec and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2013-05-10 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Identifying policies which can improve water sector management is critically important given the global burden of water-related disease. Each year, 1 in 10 child deathsroughly 800,000 in totalis the direct result of diarrhea. Can private-sector participation (PSP) in the urban piped water sector improve child health? The author uses child-level data from 39 African countries during 19862010 to show that introducing PSP decreases diarrhea among urban dwelling children under five years of age by 5.6 percentage points, or 35 percent of its mean prevalence. PSP also leads to greater reliance on piped water. To attribute causality, the author exploits time variation in the private water market share controlled by African countries former colonizers. A placebo analysis reveals that PSP does not affect symptoms of respiratory illness in the same children, nor does it affect a rural control group unaffected by PSP.
