Working Papers
1993
April 1, 1993
Economic Reform in Arab Countries: A Review of Structural Issues for the Remainder of the 1990's
Description: The paper reviews the main structural reform issues facing Arab countries in the remainder of the 1990s. While the nature, extent, and implications of the policy challenges differ among individual countries in the Arab region, several aspects are common to a large number of them. Accordingly, the paper identifies a framework consisting of a core of key reforms that would address these countries’ structural weaknesses and assist them in exploiting their considerable economic potential.
April 1, 1993
Real Exchange Rate Targeting Under Imperfect Asset Substitutability
Description: This paper presents a model of an economy that uses nominal exchange rate policy to keep the real exchange rate constant at a certain target level, under imperfect asset substitutability. The paper discusses the determinants of inflation under such a policy, and examines the consequences of exogenous and policy-induced shocks on inflation, the external accounts, and the fiscal accounts. The shocks considered include changes in the real exchange rate target, changes in fiscal policy, changes in foreign interest rates, and open market sales of public sector domestic bonds.
Notes: Also published in Staff Papers, Vol. 40, No. 4, December 1993.
April 1, 1993
Experience with Floating Interbank Exchange Rate Systems in Five Developing Economies
Description: This paper reviews the experience with floating interbank exchange rate systems in five developing countries--The Gambia, Guyana, Jamaica, Nigeria and Sri Lanka--and draws some conclusions about the stability and efficiency of these systems. The experience of these countries illustrates both the difficulties and the advantages of interbank exchange rate markets. The main conclusion is that these markets can operate relatively well with a minimum banking infrastructure, provided that the authorities remove legal and institutional impediments to the free operation of these markets including, in particular, exchange restrictions. Any residual restrictions that may remain will likely give rise to the continued existence of parallel markets.
April 1, 1993
Labor Market Issues in Belgium: An International Perspective
Description: The characteristics of the Belgian labor market are examined using international comparisons in order to assess the government’s recent labor market initiatives. The labor market in Belgium is found to suffer from a number of structural problems compared to other industrial countries: the non-employment rate is very high, there are large regional disparities in unemployment, female and youth unemployment are prevalent and there is an unusually pronounced incidence of long-term unemployment. The causes of these problems are investigated. The empirical results, using cross section data from 15 industrial countries, show that the generosity of long-term unemployment benefits helps to explain the prevalence of long-term unemployment. Unemployment compensation also appears to be paid to many who are not actively seeking work. The recent labor market initiatives in Belgium will help to ameliorate some of the underlying problems but they are unlikely to completely address the underlying structural problems.
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