Deforestation and the real exchange rate

Deforestation is a phenomenon that has largely been concentrated in the developing world. We construct a theoretical model of deforestation that focuses on the factors affecting the incentives to transform forested land into agricultural land. We show that: (i) lower discount rates and stronger institutions decrease deforestation; (ii) a depreciation in the real exchange rate increases deforestation in developing countries whereas the opposite obtains in developed countries; (iii) paradoxically, better institutions may exacerbate the deleterious impact of a depreciation in developing countries. These hypotheses are tested on an annual sample of 101 countries over the 1961–1988 period, and are not rejected by the data. Our results suggest that short-term macroeconomic policy, institutional factors, and the interaction between the two, are potentially important determinants of environmental outcomes.     

Fertility and the real exchange rate

Abstract .  We use a quinquennial data set covering 87 countries between 1975 and 2005 to investigate empirically the relationship between fertility and the real effective exchange rate. Theoretically, a country experiencing a decline in its fertility rate can be expected to experience a real depreciation. We test and confirm this hypothesis, controlling for a number of other potential determinants. We find a statistically significant and robust link between fertility and the exchange rate. Our point-estimate is that a decline in the fertility rate of one child per woman is associated with a depreciation of approximately 15% in the real effective exchange rate.     

Estimating an equilibrium exchange rate for the dollar and other key currencies

In this paper, we adapt the concept of fundamental equilibrium exchange rates ‘FEER’ in a complete model approach. We use it to determine the likely paths of the Dollar and other key currencies. The FEER is the (real) exchange rate that is consistent with internal balance and sustainable external balances. Here we examine the composition of a Dollar adjustment and hence the extent to which a FEER (for the US) depends on factors or rigidities elsewhere in the world, as well as at home. We find, the US still needs to accept an adjustment in her real exchange rate if the increase in her foreign liabilities is to come to an end. However, counterpart adjustments also have to be made in Canada, Mexico, and some Asian economies if this policy is to be successful. We also show that productivity growth differentials may act as a substitute for depreciation, and this provides an explanation for the failure of the dollar to depreciate in the 1990s.     

Remittances and the real effective exchange rate

We examine the long-run relationship between remittances and the real exchange rate for less-developed countries. In a key departure from the literature, we employ a panel cointegration approach using an innovative method for the measurement of the multilateral real effective exchange rate and we focus on high-remittance economies. We find a small inelastic, but significant, long-run relationship which confirms a Dutch disease type effect. The short-run relationship is explored using a panel vector error correction model which confirms that short-run causality is unidirectional running from remittances to the exchange rate. Potential asymmetries in this relationship are identified using quantile regression analysis.     

The real exchange rate and the black market exchange rate in developing countries

This article tests for the validity of the Purchasing power parity (PPP) theory using both the black market and the official exchange rates for panels with cross sectional dependency. The test is conducted using a newly developed, nonlinear IV panel unit root test that properly handles cross-sectional dependency for thirty-seven developing countries. We find that the null of joint unit root hypothesis is rejected for the whole panel, using the black market exchange rate, and for sub-panels of African and high inflation countries, using either exchange rate. The black market-based real exchange rates are, therefore, shown to provide stronger evidence for the purchasing power parity theory than do the official rates. This finding is consistent with the observation that black market exchange rates better represent market forces and thus are more relevant when testing for the validity of the PPP theory in developing countries.     

Asymmetry dynamics in real exchange rates: New results on East Asian currencies

This paper provides new evidence on the purchasing power parity (PPP) hypothesis in six East Asian countries. Based on nonlinear unit root tests, we discovered that the results are broadly consistent with the fact that real exchange rates (RERs) follow a nonlinear mean reversion process. We presented new evidence that the adjustment towards the PPP parity is asymmetric (LSTAR process) above and below the equilibrium value in all but one case — the Malaysian ringgit (MYR). The empirical results suggest that it is important that the conventional tests of PPP be amended to take account of asymmetries in the adjustment process in RERs.     

The effects of exchange rate regimes on real exchange rate misalignment

The literature on exchange rate regimes has paid little attention to the effects of exchange rate policies on real exchange rate misalignments. This paper contributes to filling that gap by exploring such relation empirically. Because the underlying model is probably not linear and the treated individuals differ from non-treated individuals, we rely on Matching models rather than on standard regressions. Our main finding is that pegs are associated with more overvaluation. The results are robust to different exchange rate regime classifications, misalignment indexes, and matching estimators. The evidence presented suggests that policy-makers concerned with overvaluation should avoid sticking with rigid arrangements for too long.     

The real exchange rate and economic development

Recent empirical studies have found a robust correlation between competitive exchange rates and economic growth in developing economies. This paper presents (i) a formal model to help explain these findings and (ii) econometric evidence on the relation between investment and the real exchange rate. The model emphasizes the existence of (hidden) unemployment as a source of endogenous growth, even under constant returns to scale. Growth promoting policies, however, affect the external balance, and two instruments are needed in order to achieve targets for both the growth rate and the trade balance. The real exchange rate can serve as one of those instruments. The implications of the model for the relation between real exchange rates and the rate of capital accumulation find support in our econometric analysis.     

Long-run determinants of the Irish real exchange rate

Smooth adjustment to real exchange rate shifts is one of the major challenges facing the Irish economy under EMU. Rather than assume purchasing power parity, the long-run real exchange rate is modelled as time-varying, being determined by relative output levels, the terms of trade and the net foreign asset position. It is shown that these factors account for a large proportion of the long-run movement in the Irish real exchange rate.     

Crawling peg and the variability of the real exchange rate

This paper assesses the extent to which exchange rate policies of crawling?galloping peg in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay did contribute to the overall variability of their real exchange rates in the 1970's.     

China's economic growth and its real exchange rate

The shocks that underlie China's comparatively rapid growth include gains in productivity, factor accumulation and policy reforms that increase allocative efficiency. The well-known Balassa–Samuelson hypothesis links productivity growth in tradable industries with real appreciations. Yet it relies heavily on the law of one price applying for tradable goods, against which there is now considerable evidence. In its absence, other growth shocks also affect the real exchange rate by influencing relative supply or demand for home product varieties. This paper investigates the pre-conditions for the Balassa–Samuelson hypothesis to predict a real appreciation in the Chinese case. It then quantifies the links between all growth shocks and the Chinese real exchange rate using a dynamic model of the global economy with open capital accounts and full demographic underpinnings to labor supply. The results suggest that financial capital inflows most affect the real exchange rate in the short term, while differential productivity is strong in the medium term. Contrary to expectation, in the long term demographic forces prove to be weak relative to changes in the skill composition of the labor force, which enhances services sector performance and depreciates the real exchange rate.     

International asset markets and real exchange rate volatility

The real exchange rate is very volatile relative to major macroeconomic aggregates and its correlation with the ratio of domestic over foreign consumption is negative (Backus–Smith puzzle). These two observations constitute a puzzle to standard international macroeconomic theory. This paper develops a two country model with complete asset markets and limited enforcement for international financial contracts that provides a possible explanation of these two puzzles. The model performs better than a standard incomplete markets model with a single non-contingent bond unless very tight borrowing constraints are imposed in the latter. With limited enforcement for both domestic and international financial contracts, the model's asset pricing implications are brought into line with the empirical evidence, albeit at the expense of raising real exchange rate volatility.     

Commodity prices and the AUD-Yen exchange rate: a real-time forecasting analysis

I study the impact of the GSCI commodity price indices on the Australian dollar-Japanese yen nominal exchange rate using a modified version of the classic monetary approach of exchange rate determination. I use a broad range of model-selection and model-averaging criteria. I find some evidence for a short-lived relationship as far as inclusions in the optimal forecasting models are concerned. In general, though, results of the Diebold-Mariano and Clark-West test show that results are not stable over the whole sample.     

Commodity currencies and commodity prices: modelling static and time-varying dependence

This article employs the copula approach to study the relationship between exchange rates and commodity prices for large commodity exporters. Using data for the nominal exchange rates of four commodity currencies (Australian, Canadian and New Zealand dollars, and Norwegian krone) against the US dollar and the relevant country-specific commodity price indices, constructed on a daily basis, we find (1) a positive dependence between the values of commodity currencies and commodity indices, i.e. a commodity index increases when a respective currency appreciates and provides several explanations for this finding; (2) no major asymmetries in the tail dependence for most pairs of exchange rates and commodity indices and (3) a pronounced increase in the time-varying tail dependence following the global financial crisis.     

Non-linearity versus non-normality in real exchange rate dynamics

We distinguish non-normality from non-linearity in G7 real exchange rate dynamics by correcting the critical values of the Kapetanios et al. [Kapetanios, G., Shin, Y., Snell, A., 2003. Testing for a unit root in the non-linear STAR framework. Journal of Econometrics, 112, 359–379] test for non-normality using the wild bootstrap. Our findings validate non-linear Purchasing Power Parity net of non-normality effects.     

Sources of real exchange rate fluctuations in China

This paper reviews the evolution of China's real effective exchange rate between 1980 and 2003 and uses a structural vector autoregression model to study the relative importance of different types of macroeconomic shocks for fluctuations in the real exchange rate between 1985 and 2003. The structural decomposition shows that relative real demand and supply shocks account for most of the variations in real exchange rate changes during the estimation period. The paper also finds that supply shocks are at least as important as nominal demand shocks in accounting for real exchange rate fluctuations. In contrast, other studies that show that nominal shocks are more important in explaining real exchange rate fluctuations in industrial countries. Journal of Comparative Economics 33 (4) (2005) 753–771.     

Trade openness effects on informality and the real exchange rate channel

The theoretical frameworks that explain the impact of trade openness on informal employment suggest an ambiguous effect. This has been verified in a few countries, based solely on microeconometric evidence. This study contributes to the literature by specifying a macroeconometric relationship for a panel of 17 Latin American countries.     

Generalized long memory and mean reversion of the real exchange rate

Definitive evidence regarding a rapid mean reversion of the real exchange rate is not present when using standard linear methodology, including unit root tests and fractional integration. To consider the robustness of these results, we use an encompassing model, the Gegenbauer AutoRegressive Moving Average (GARMA) model, which nests as special cases the existing linear methods. The GARMA model accommodates a complete notion of persistence and allows shocks to dissipate slowly in a cyclical manner. We find evidence supporting a weak version of purchasing power parity, where equilibrium errors are long memory with strongly persistent cycles. However, this new form of cyclical mean reversion is likely too slow to be economically meaningful. The inability to find a strong equilibrium attractor process, using a very general encompassing linear methodology provides support for the recent models that allow for a nonlinear attraction process and for shifting real exchange rate equilibria.