Working Papers
2005
December 1, 2005
Bank Efficiency and Competition in Low-Income Countries: The Case of Uganda
Description: There is a concern that the state-dominated, inefficient, and fragile banking systems in many low-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, are a major hindrance to economic growth. This paper systematically analyzes the impact of the far-reaching banking sector reforms undertaken in Uganda to improve competition and efficiency. Using models that have been previously used only in industrial countries, we find that the level of competition has increased significantly and has been associated with a rise in efficiency. Moreover, on average, larger banks and foreign-owned banks have become more efficient, while smaller banks have become less efficient in the face of increased competitive pressures.
December 1, 2005
How Tight Is Too Tight? A Look at Welfare Implications of Distortionary Policies in Uzbekistan
Description: Since independence in 1991, Uzbekistan has pursued a gradual approach to the transition from planned to market economy. This approach relied heavily on trade controls, directed credit, and large public investments. A number of financial sector measures were also instituted that distorted resource allocation and increased transaction costs. As a result, while possibly preventing the contraction of output in the early 1990s, these policies led to disappointing economic outcomes and social conditions. The paper reviews the underlying distortions and presents survey-based evidence to support their existence and their detrimental impact on economic activity. Looking forward, the paper-using a representative agent framework to model existing financial sector distortions-offers some guidance regarding the likely implications of eliminating the observed distortions on key aggregate variables. It suggests that the elimination of these distortions will enhance welfare and lead to increased investment and capital stock.
December 1, 2005
Service Offshoring, Productivity, and Employment: Evidence from the United States
Description: This paper estimates the effects of offshoring on productivity in U.S. manufacturing industries between 1992 and 2000, using instrumental variables estimation to address the potential endogeneity of offshoring. It finds that service offshoring has a significant positive effect on productivity in the US, accounting for around 11 percent of productivity growth during this period. Offshoring material inputs also has a positive effect on productivity, but the magnitude is smaller accounting for approximately 5 percent of productivity growth. There is a small negative effect of less than half a percent on employment when industries are finely disaggregated (450 manufacturing industries). However, this affect disappears at more aggregate industry level of 96 industries indicating that there is sufficient growth in demand in other industries within these broadly defined classifications to offset any negative effects.
December 1, 2005
Fiscal Policy and Business Cycles in an Oil-Producing Economy: The Case of Venezuela
Description: This paper analyzes the fiscal policy in Venezuela during 1991-2003, by using a number of statistical approaches to analyze trends and cycles of economic output and fiscal outcomes. The business cycle features a strong dominance of short-term cyclical components-each cycle having an average duration of about two to three years. However, the cyclical volatility of non-oil sector GDP is more than two times as large as the volatility of oil sector GDP. On the fiscal side, while oil revenues are independent of the business cycle, all the other main fiscal variables exhibit strong procyclicality. In particular, fiscal procyclicality is higher during good times than bad times, which could be related to the existence of "voracity effects." The discretionary component of fiscal policy is as volatile as the component induced by the business cycle.
December 1, 2005
Money Demand and Inflation in Madagascar
Description: This paper uses a two-sector model to estimate the relationship between prices, money, and the exchange rate in Madagascar during the period 1982-2004. The estimated model, using quarterly data, finds a stable long-run relationship among monetary aggregates, domestic prices, real income, and foreign interest rates. In addition, the error-correction model shows that changes in the monetary aggregates, the exchange rate, and foreign interest rates exert a significant impact on inflation. The results also suggest that a disequilibrium in the money market has a lasting impact on inflation. The paper concludes with policy recommendations.
December 1, 2005
Emergence of the Gulf of Guinea in the Global Economy: Prospects and Challenges
Description: The Gulf of Guinea's tremendous potential is creating investment opportunities for the region. Some of its resources, such as oil, minerals, and forests, continue to attract significant investments whereas others, like natural gas, could be exploited to their full potential if necessary investments were undertaken. Nevertheless, the Gulf of Guinea has to cope with numerous challenges, both exogenous and endogenous, before it can fully benefit from its riches. One of these problems stems from the overwhelmingly weak institutions and governance, pointed by stylized facts, which add to the risks of "natural resource curse" and can feed the theory of the "Paradox of Plenty." The case is made that regional institutional arrangements and increased involvement of the international community and the African Diaspora should complement the efforts in which countries in the region should engage to address policy and governance issues. Complementary avenues are proposed, including maintaining stability and security, making better use of the region's own assets, putting in place a favorable business environment, and augmenting exports with value addition.
December 1, 2005
FIRST: A Market-Based Approach to Evaluate Financial System Risk and Stability
Description: This paper presents background work that has been the basis for the development of the market and credit risk indicators (MRI and CRI, respectively) as published in the IMF's Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) since September 2004. The fundamental idea was to build a set of Financial Indicators on Risk and Stability (FIRST) that could reflect the market perceptions for current and future stress on financial institutions. The focus of the analysis is mainly on large, complex financial institutions (LCFIs) operating in the most advanced financial markets, MRI and CRI have also been applied to internationally active commercial banks and insurance companies.
December 1, 2005
The END: A New Indicator of Financial and Nonfinancial Corporate Sector Vulnerability
Description: This paper describes a corporate sector vulnerability indicator, the expected number of defaults (END), based on the joint occurrence of defaults among a number of firms and/or institutions. The END indicator is general enough to assess systemic risk in the corporate and financial sectors, as well as systemic sovereign risk; and is also forward looking as it is constructed using information implied by financial securities prices. Using equity prices and balance-sheet data, we calculate the END to assess systemic risk in the corporate sector in Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand. We also discuss how the END systemic risk indicator overcomes some of the shortcomings of other vulnerability indicators.
December 1, 2005
A Fair Exchange? Theory and Practice of Calculating Equilibrium Exchange Rates
Description: We develop a theory-based model of equilibrium exchange rates incorporating factors that have been found to matter empirically. The model provides insights into how variables should be measured and what are appropriate cross-country restrictions. We estimate this model using a panel of 12 industrial countries. The model fits the data relatively well, implying relatively fast adjustment to equilibrium and outperforming a random walk at longer horizons. Furthermore, we find that the rate of adjustment depends on the distance from equilibrium, suggesting that part of the explanation for slow adjustment is inaccurate measures of equilibrium.
December 1, 2005
Debt Overhang or Debt Irrelevance? Revisiting the Debt-Growth Link
Description: Do Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs) suffer from a debt overhang? Is debt relief going to improve their growth rates? To answer these important questions, we look at how the debt-growth relationship varies with indebtedness levels and other country characteristics in a panel of developing countries. Our findings suggest that there is a negative marginal relationship between debt and growth at intermediate levels of debt, but not at very low debt levels, below the “debt overhang” threshold, or at very high levels, above the “debt irrelevance” threshold. Countries with good policies and institutions face overhang when debt rises above 15-30 percent of GDP, but the marginal effect of debt on growth becomes irrelevant above 70-80 percent. In countries with bad policies and institutions, overhang and irrelevance thresholds seem to be lower, but we cannot rule out the possibility that debt does not matter at all.