Solvency runs, sunspot runs, and international bailouts

This paper introduces a model of intervention by an international financial institution (IFI) under asymmetric information. The IFI is unable to distinguish between runs due to fundamentals and those which are the result of pure sunspots. However, it maximizes global welfare by offering a relending package consistent with generating a separating equilibrium, where voluntary creditor participation implies that underlying fundamentals are good. The need for direct IFI lending in the package is shown to depend on the commitment capacity of creditors. This adverse selection problem provides an alternative rationale for Bagehot's Principle of last-resort lending at high rates of interest to the moral hazard motivation commonly found in the literature.     

Currency crises and contingent liabilities

A contingent liability is a future spending commitment that is realized with some probability. International organizations emphasize the dangers of contingent liabilities when providing advice. Why? One answer is obvious—if significant contingent liabilities are realized they commit governments to substantial fiscal costs. There is a further reason: by taking on a contingent liability the government can increase the probability of the underlying shock taking place. This paper describes how the issuance of government guarantees and the methods by which they are financed affect the probability of crises taking place. It also discusses the determinants of post-crisis inflation and depreciation.     

中国超额外汇储备的社会成本

依据持有1美元储备资产的社会成本等于私人部门从国外借入短期债务的成本和中央银行从其流动性资产中所获得的收益之间的差额的方法,采用EMBI利差数据计算了中国持有超额外汇储备的社会成本,约为GDP的1.5%。本文认为增加流动性的最优战略是增加储备与减少短期外债并用。     

外汇储备、人民币汇率与货币错配:基于SSM的实证分析

本文选取1985-2009年我国货币错配指数、外汇储备总额、人民币实际有效汇率和人民币汇率制度作为研究样本,构建状态空间模型(SSM)。由此得出结论:人民币汇率是影响我国货币错配程度的最主要因素;人民币汇率、汇率制度以及外汇储备额均为货币错配指数的格兰杰原因;浮动汇率制度更能缓解货币错配风险。     

The reversibility of different types of capital flows to emerging markets

We investigate whether some types of capital flows are more likely to reverse than others during currency crises. Earlier statistical testing has yielded conflicting results on this issue. We argue that the problem with the earlier studies is that the degree of variability of capital flows during normal or inflow periods may give little clue to their behavior during crises and it is the latter that is most important for policy. Using data for 35 emerging economies for 1990 through 2003, we confirm that direct investment is the most stable category, but find that contrary to much popular analysis, private loans on average are as reversible as portfolio flows.     

Currency crises, sunspots and Markov-switching regimes

This paper investigates the theoretical properties of a class of escape clause models of currency crises as well as their applicability to empirical work. We show that under some conditions these models give rise to an arbitrarily large number of equilibria, as well as cyclic or chaotic dynamics for the devaluation expectations. We then propose an econometric technique, based on the Markov-switching regimes framework, by which these models can be brought to the data. We illustrate this empirical approach by studying the experience of the French franc between 1987 and 1993, and find that the model performs significantly better when it allows the devaluation expectations to be influenced by sunspots.     

The external wealth of nations mark II: Revised and extended estimates of foreign assets and liabilities, 1970-2004

We construct estimates of external assets and liabilities for 145 countries for 1970-2004. We describe our estimation methods and key features of the data at the country and global level. We focus on trends in net and gross external positions, and the composition of international portfolios. We document the increasing importance of equity financing and the improvement in the external position for emerging markets, and the differing pace of financial integration between advanced and developing economies. We also show the existence of a global discrepancy between estimated foreign assets and liabilities, and identify the asset categories accounting for this discrepancy.     

国际货币兑换模型与中国外汇储备结构

一国外汇储备结构不仅要考虑储备货币的收益性和风险性,而且也要考虑其在国际市场上兑换的方便性和交易的低成本性。本文从国际货币兑换结构模型出发,对美-欧-中三国模型进行实证分析,提出对中国外汇储备结构变化的不同考虑。     

我国外汇储备投资的战略性目标及其实施

国家外汇投资公司的筹备成立标志着我国外汇储备管理模式的根本变化,文章认为外汇储备投资除满足收益性和缓解国内流动性过剩的使命外,应重点保障我国资源需求的战略目标;资源战略储备的形式除实物储备外,还可以直接购买或参股资源矿藏、购买资源类企业的股票以及通过国际期货市场进行运作.     

希腊债务危机及其对世界经济复苏的冲击

2010年2月初以来,希腊等国的债务危机开始进入人们的视野,并引发欧盟金融市场震荡。希腊等国的债务危机具有重要的历史原因和传染效应,它不仅源于财政赤字过高,而且缺乏独立的货币政策,但最根本的原因是希腊的经济失去了"生产性"。我国应未雨绸缪,提早做好准备,主动积极应对希腊等国的主权债务危机。     

我国经常项目收支平衡与经济增长——基于BPCG模型的实证分析

20世纪90年代初以来,我国经常项目中商品贸易持续顺差,服务贸易和投资收益账户却连年逆差,这种结构不利于我国经济的持续稳定增长。本文应用国际收支约束下经济增长模型(BPCG)及其扩展形式,实证分析了1982-2005年间我国经常项目平衡约束下的经济增长率、商品贸易收支平衡约束下的经济增长率与实际增长率之间的差异,结论为经常项目平衡约束下的经济增长率比商品贸易收支平衡约束下的经济增长率要低0.5-1个百分点。     

欧洲主权债务危机及其影响

2010年2月初以来,随着美国次贷危机对各国经济的影响逐步消退、世界经济复苏越来越明显,欧洲主权债务危机开始进入人们的视野,国际金融市场出现震荡。欧洲主权债务危机对我国的影响主要是间接性的汇率风险,即我国巨额外汇储备中欧元部分的趋势性贬值风险。但是,我国应未雨绸缪,提早做好准备,主动积极应对欧洲主权债务危机。     

对外开放程度度量方法的研究综述

从贸易方面度量开放程度的指标有外贸依存度、关税率、有效保护率和数量限制平均覆盖率、非关税壁垒覆盖率、价格扭曲度等。从金融角度来研究开放的指标有外汇黑市溢价、本国对外投资和吸收外资的流量、存量、增长率以及它们占GDP的比重等。有些学者运用计量方法测算选定指标的理论预测值,通过比较实际值与理论预测值的差异来度量开放程度。国内学者一般选择3至6个分指标的加权平均值来度量我国经济的对外开放程度。     

外商直接投资与我国农产品和食品贸易关系的研究

本文运用计量经济模型,对我国农产品和食品贸易与FDI之间的关系进行了研究,结果表明我国农产品和食品进口、出口和总贸易量与FDI之间皆存在长期稳定的均衡关系,而且这种关系具有互补性。在此基础上,本文还对各变量之间是否存在因果关系进行了检验,以便进一步揭示二者之间的联系。同时结合我国农产品和食品贸易与FDI的特点,对结果进行了相应的讨论。     

外商直接投资与服务贸易国际竞争力——来自77个国家的经验证据

近年来,部分学者在FDI对服务贸易国际竞争力的影响效应方面进行了研究,结论却截然不同。为从一般意义上揭示两者间的关系,文章选取77个国家1980-2008年相关数据,并采取只考虑出口因素的lnRXA指数及同时考虑进出口因素的RC指数来衡量服务贸易国际竞争力,分别从总体、经济发展水平及服务业FDI限入水平三个层面进行了实证检验,结果表明:总体来看,FDI流入不会提高一国服务贸易国际竞争力,而不同经济发展水平及服务业FDI限入水平国家的FDI流入会产生不同的影响效应;除高限入水平国家外,服务业GDP不会提升服务贸易国际竞争力;服务出口及货物出口分别会对服务贸易国际竞争力产生显著的正向及负向影响效应。此外,服务贸易国际竞争力衡量指数选取的不同会造成FDI流入的影响效应产生较大差异。     

A knowledge-and-physical-capital model of international trade flows, foreign direct investment, and multinational enterprises

This paper addresses two important issues at the nexus of the literatures on international trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign affiliate sales (FAS), and multinational enterprises (MNEs). First, the introduction of a third internationally-mobile factor (physical capital) to the standard 2 × 2 × 2 “knowledge-capital” model of MNEs with skilled and unskilled labor allows us to resolve fairly readily the puzzle in the modern MNE literature that foreign affiliate sales among two identical economies completely displace their international trade. Intra-industry trade and intra-industry FDI (and FAS) can coexist for national and multinational firms (with identical productivities) in identical countries. Second, the introduction also of a third country to the model suggests a formal N-country theoretical rationale for estimating gravity equations of bilateral FDI flows and FAS, in a manner consistent with estimating gravity equations for bilateral trade flows.     

International strategy: From local to global and beyond

To survive and thrive, multinational enterprises (MNEs) have had to adapt to dramatic changes and increasing complexity in the global competitive landscape over the past 50 years. MNEs’ international strategies and the academic research on the various attributes and outcomes of these strategies have evolved accordingly. This work reviews the evolution of international strategy research over the past five decades. In particular, the research on international diversification and the timing and speed of entering international markets is closely examined. In recent years, the influence of formal and informal institutions on international strategy has become a central research topic. Furthermore, MNEs’ strategies often seek to explore and exploit critical capabilities to build advantages in international markets. Finally, emerging research themes, such as institutional complexity, business sustainability, emerging economy firms and international new ventures are highlighted.     

Investment liberalization and international trade

This paper estimates the cross-price elasticity of exports with respect to investment costs for bilateral relations between 36 countries. We show that the effect of reducing foreign direct investment costs on exports depends on country characteristics and trade costs as predicted by the [Markusen, 1997] and [Markusen, 2002] model. When countries differ in relative factor endowments and trade costs are low, investment liberalization stimulates exports, whereas when countries are similar in terms of relative factor endowments and size, and trade costs are moderate to high, investment liberalization reduces exports.     

Seeking greener pastures: a theoretical and empirical investigation into the changing trend of foreign direct investment flows in response to institutional and strategic factors

A generic theoretical model is proposed that provides a holistic conceptualization of the phenomenon of changing trend of FDI flows. Integrating both institutional and strategic factors, a rationale for such a change is provided, and the circumstances under which future shifts might take place are identified. A collection of criteria and incentives that various host governments and their agencies must provide to attract FDI are outlined. Several propositions that lead to empirically testable hypotheses are developed from this model. Statistical evidence is then provided of a shift in FDI flows, and the change in their determinants, by empirically analyzing investment by US multinational enterprises into Western Europe and Asia over the 20-year period, 1981–2000.     

Macroeconomic policy cooperation and the G20

Has the G20 achieved its goals in macroeconomic cooperation since 2008? The paper organises the G20's efforts under five themes: macroeconomic stimulus, fiscal consolidation, monetary policy, the global financial safety net and global imbalances. The G20 was initially successful in each of these areas, but this success was short‐lived. While the G20 met its goals on macroeconomic stimulus, it has been less successful in reducing deficits and debt. While it was successful in increasing its resources, the global financial safety net remains too small, too fragmented and institutional reform is incomplete. While the G20 succeeded in moving to more market‐determined exchange rates and avoiding competitive devaluations, it struggled to avoid negative spillovers. Despite years of effort, the G20 has made limited progress in reducing global imbalances. Current account imbalances are creeping back to pre‐crisis levels. Public debt remains high and most economies are moving in the wrong direction in correcting imbalances in household savings and debt. The paper concludes that the G20 has done better in some areas than others. But to suggest the G20 is a forum in decline ignores its shift from reactive crisis response to longer‐term structural challenges outside of the pressing need of an immediate crisis.