| Abstract: | The governments of developing countries are constrained in theeffective implementation of domestic policy by the interlinkagesof national and international financial markets. Domestic macroeconomicconditions are influenced by the interaction of national andworld interest rates and prices, and through the impact of realexchange rates on employment. The domestic responses to changesin these factors are often strong and rapid. In an attempt tosever these ties, governments have adopted dual exchange ratesystems in which capital account transactions are conductedat a depreciated exchange rate while an otherwise overvaluedrate is maintained for commercial trade. This article suggeststhat dual rates can indeed be used successfully as a strictlytransitory policy to offset sudden shocks in capital markets.The article develops models which indicate why these dual systemsare able to prevent inflationary or recessionary pressures causedby a misaligned exchange rate in the short term. While freecapital account rates can cut the flow of capital flight, however,a dual rate system cannot prevent a possibly equivalent lossof foreign reserves that will ultimately result because of theimpact of the overvaluation of the commercial rate on the tradebalance. In the longer term, a dual rate system with a misalignedcommercial rate exacerbates the government's deficit; ultimately,real wages must be cut and real interest rates raised to generatesufficient foreign exchange to finance the external debt. Thusa dual rate works well if the commercial rate is maintainedclose to the equilibrium level. |
