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How should resource-dependent countries respond (fiscally) to resource price volatility? This paper studies what determines revenue allocation between a "spend today" strategy and a "save now-spend tomorrow" approach in the context of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It uses a three-sector model in which public infrastructure investment has tangible benefits for private production and investment while it is also subject to absorption constraints. The paper calibrates the optimal allocation rule between spending today and asset accumulation, by minimizing a social loss function defined in terms of household welfare (measured by consumption volatility) and macroeconomic volatility (measured in terms of fiscal volatility). Sensitivity analysis is also conducted with respect to various key parameters, including the efficiency of public investment. The results indicate that, if properly managed, sovereign fund could contribute significantly to macroeconomic stability in the DRC.

Commodity Price Shock --- Dsge Model, Sovereign Wealth Fund --- Small Open Economy

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The paper develops a model of exchange rate regime choice centered on the trade-off between internal price stability and external competitiveness and allowing for institutional costs of altering exchange rate arrangements. The main implication of the model is a nonlinear relationship between the rate of inflation and the choice of regime for the next period. The model also suggests that a major inflationary shock-like the one to which all Central and Eastern European economies were subject when they allowed prices to be determined by the market-should give rise to a tightening of the exchange rate regime, followed by a gradual introduction of more flexibility as inflation subsides. A series of regressions on a sample of 13 Central and Eastern European economies yield results consistent with the hypothesis.

Foreign Exchange --- Inflation --- Open Economy Macroeconomics --- Price Level --- Deflation --- Currency --- Foreign exchange --- Macroeconomics --- Exchange rate arrangements --- Exchange rate flexibility --- Conventional peg --- Exchange rates --- Prices --- Bulgaria

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This paper examines whether decisions about the appropriate exchange rate regime in six Central American countries were based on longer-run economic fundamentals or on the confluence of historical and political circumstances. To uncover any actual relationship both across countries and across time, we estimate several probit and multinomial logit models of exchange rate regime choice with data spanning the period 1974-2001. We find that theoretical long-run determinants, such as trade openness, export share with the major trading partner, economic size, and per capita income, are adequate, but not robust, predictors of exchange rate regime choice. However, we were not able to establish a statistically significant association between the terms of trade fluctuations or capital account openness and a particular regime in any specification using our sample.

Foreign Exchange --- Open Economy Macroeconomics --- Currency --- Foreign exchange --- Exchange rate arrangements --- Crawling peg --- Conventional peg --- Floating exchange rates --- Exchange rates --- United States

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This paper assesses the economic effects of climate policies on different regions and countries with a focus on external adjustment. The paper finds that various climate policies could have substantially different impacts on external balances over the next decade. A credible and globally coordinated carbon tax would decrease current account balances in greener advanced economies and increase current accounts in more fossil-fuel-dependent regions, reflecting a disproportionate decline in investment for the latter group. Green supply-side policies—green subsidy and infrastructure investment—would increase investment and saving but would have a more muted external sector impact because of the constrained pace of expansion for renewables or the symmetry of the infrastructure boost. Country characteristics, such as initial carbon intensity and net fossil fuel exports, ultimately determine the current account responses. For the global economy, a coordinated climate change mitigation policy package would shift capital towards advanced economies. Following an initial rise, the global interest rates would fall over time with increases in the carbon tax. These external sector effects, however, depend crucially on the degree of international policy coordination and credibility.

Climate --- Environmental Taxes and Subsidies --- Global Warming --- International Policy Coordination and Transmission --- Natural Disasters and Their Management --- Open Economy Macroeconomics --- Redistributive Effects --- Taxation and Subsidies: Externalities

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This paper addresses the issue of the appropriate exchange rate regimes for Jordan and Lebanon in the context of the literature on optimum currency areas and the arguments concerning the use of the exchange rate as a nominal anchor for the economy. It presents some empirical results on the nature of output shocks in Jordan and Lebanon in the recent past, on the price sensitivity of exports from Jordan, and on currency and asset substitution in both countries. It does not directly address the issue of whether the current exchange rate in either country is overvalued or not, nor does it discuss the issue of an appropriate exit strategy from the current peg.

Exports and Imports --- Foreign Exchange --- Financial Aspects of Economic Integration --- Open Economy Macroeconomics --- Trade: General --- Currency --- Foreign exchange --- International economics --- Exchange rate arrangements --- Exchange rate flexibility --- Conventional peg --- Exports --- Exchange rates --- International trade --- Jordan