The lending channel of monetary policy in Indonesia

This study evaluates the bank lending channel of monetary policy in Indonesia by using quarterly bank-level data over the period of 2005-2016. I find that the lending channel of monetary policy works for all banks, both large and small. The results suggest that higher capital buffers and better liquidity positions moderate the impact of changes in monetary policy on credit growth for large banks, while capital buffers and liquidity positions do not alter the strength of the lending channel for small banks. The findings indicate that the central bank can use prudential instruments affecting capital buffers and liquidity positions for managing the strength of adjustment in the monetary policy interest rate on bank credit growth.     

Do exchange rate arrangements and capital controls influence international capital flows and housing prices in Asia?

This paper investigates the influence of international capital flows on housing prices in eight Asian countries, including China. We focus on determining whether exchange rate arrangements and capital regulations influence capital inflows and housing prices. Our results show that an arrangement to restrain the fluctuation of the exchange rate and capital controls has the potential to raise housing prices in Asia. The strong prospect of the Chinese yuan's appreciation also pushed up housing prices in China. Another expected reason for the increase in capital inflows into Asian markets is the expansion of global liquidity. Such capital flows often have a sensitive reaction to market sentiment, and an increase in asset market volatility caused by the liquidity squeeze decreases Asian housing prices. These results suggest the need to review capital controls and future exchange rate system options for Asian countries.     

Loan-to-value policy in a bubble-creation economy

This paper provides a theoretical analysis of macroprudential policy in the form of loan-to-value (LTV) restrictions in a bubble-creation economy. Such policy measures have been used intensively in Asia to deal with credit and property price boom-bust cycles while the effectiveness remains unclear, especially the country-specific cases. We find that the effect on investment and size of bubbles depends on the degree of financial development. Specifically, restrictive LTV policies tend to be more effective in dampening asset-price bubbles in economies that have a high degree of financial depth. High (low) financial depth implies that bubbles originally crowd out (in) investment, so that implementation of LTV policies causes bubbles to decrease (remain unchanged). These might explain some mixed empirical results of LTV policy on dampening asset-price growth.     

COVID-19 policy actions and inflation targeting in South Asia

In this paper, we examine the impact of policy actions undertaken by governments during the COVID-19 pandemic on Consumer Price Index (CPI) in five major South Asian nations, namely, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Using panel fixed effects regression with robust standard errors, we show the relative importance of monetary and financial interventions on reducing CPI while fiscal interventions, direct grants and aid are insignificant. Further, delving into nature of policy interventions, our study finds evidence of negative impact of Credit Support, and Healthcare Support on CPI in South Asian nations. While our investigation is preliminary, it provides insights into additional understanding of effectiveness of policy actions on inflation targeting.     

Cultural policy and urban regeneration in Western European cities: lessons from experience, prospects for the future

This paper reviews the uses of cultural policy and planning as tools of urban regeneration in western European cities. Following a brief assessment of the evolution of European cultural policy in recent decades, the paper studies the origins and development of the European City/Capital of Culture programme and explores the experience of cities considered to have succeeded in re-imaging and regenerating themselves through cultural activity and special events. The paper ends with a reflection on the notion of cultural planning and its potential as an integrated alternative to urban cultural policy, and offers recommendations for further development within the UK context.     

Inflation dynamics and monetary policy transmission in Vietnam and emerging Asia

This paper provides an overview of inflation developments in Vietnam in the years following the doi moi reforms, and uses empirical analysis to answer two key questions: (i) what are the key drivers of inflation in Vietnam, and what role does monetary policy play? and (ii) why has inflation in Vietnam been persistently higher than in most other emerging market economies in the region? It focuses on understanding the monetary policy transmission mechanism in Vietnam, and in understanding the extent to which monetary policy can explain why inflation in Vietnam has been higher than in other Asian emerging markets over the past decade.     

Macroeconomic effects of macroprudential policies: Evidence from LTV and DTI policies in Korea

This study investigates the effects of loan-to-value (LTV) and debt-to-income (DTI) policies on macroeconomic variables such as commodity price index (CPI) and industrial production (IP) and financial variables such as house price and household bank loan in Korea by employing a structural vector autoregression (VAR) model. We use measures of LTV and DTI regulations that properly reflect changes in regulation coverage and intensity. Empirical results show that LTV and DTI shocks have significant effects not only on house price and household bank loan but also on CPI and IP, particularly when both policies are implemented together. The effects of DTI shocks are similar to those of monetary policy shocks, but LTV and DTI shocks tend to have a slower effect on CPI and IP but a faster effect on house price and household bank loan.     

我国经济的缩长现象与治理对策的思考

近年来我国宏观经济表现出经济持续增长与物价指数持续下滑并存的现象,这一现象在经济学界引起广泛关注。本文基于大量数据并结合有关经济学原理对该现象进行了剖析,指出我国经济发展中存在的一些问题,进而提出了主要对策。     

House Prices and the Stance of Monetary Policy: The Case of Korea

Abstract

This paper is an empirical investigation on whether the Bank of Korea should respond to the housing price developments in conducting monetary policy. For that aim, we construct a small scale empirical model of the Korean economy, simulate the estimated model with a set of alternative monetary policy rules, and compare the stabilization performances of those rules. There turns out to be ample room for further stabilization of inflation and output, if the central bank shifts from the historically conducted monetary policy rule to the optimal rule. The stabilization gains under the optimal rule, however, are not attributable to additional policy indicators (such as housing price inflation) the optimal rule involves. Rather, the optimal rule improves upon the historical one because the former takes a quite different reaction scheme toward the historical policy indicators. Moreover, as long as the Bank of Korea maintains appropriate reactions to the historical policy indicators, housing price inflation does not contain much extra information for further stabilization     

区域人口社会经济系统动态仿真模型研究

近年来 ,需求不足的问题成为制约国民经济增长的关键问题。江苏高度重视民间投资问题 ,出台了一系列启动民间资本的政策和措施 ,但民间投资的潜力还很大 ,有必要进一步深入研究。     

基础设施投资效率与经济增长间的关系研究

基础设施建设是发展中国家发展的基础和原动力,且基础设施投资效率的高低关系到国家经济增长的态势。以东南亚国家为样本,设计投入指标和以人均 GDP 为主的产出指标,结合 SSBM 模型测算分析各国基础设施投资效率和趋势,并利用ESDA 模型对空间耦合协调度进行分析。同时,通过定义被解释变量、解释变量和控制变量对进行基础设施投资效率与经济增长间的关系实证研究。研究结果表明,东南亚国家在 2010 年至 2020 年间的基础设施投资效率在波动中提升,彼此间的差异性不大,且呈现聚拢趋势。软硬件基础设施投入对经济增长的影响和显著性最大。     

20世纪90年代美国货币政策及对我国目前的启示

1993～2000年的美国和目前的中国都出现了高增长、低通胀的局面,一般认为美联储的货币政策为之作出很大贡献。本文在借鉴的基础上就我国目前在高增长、低通胀下的货币政策的几个主要问题提出建议。     

Sovereign Spreads and Contagion Risks in Asia

In the aftermath of the recent global financial turmoil, sovereign spreads have exhibited a significant degree of volatility. This paper explores how much of these movements in the spreads of Asian economies reflected shifts in global risk aversion or country‐specific risks, directly from worsening fundamentals, or indirectly from spillovers originating in other sovereigns, or risks and uncertainty surrounding their exchange rates. This analysis finds that earlier in the crisis, the increase in market‐implied contagion led to an increase of sovereign bond yields relative to the swaps. Higher‐rated sovereign bonds in Asia benefited from the flight to quality that accompanied the increase in global risk aversion during this period. Once the systemic risks in the financial sectors worldwide were contained, the risk of sovereign spillovers eased, which, together with a fall in perceived currency‐related risks, led to a fall in sovereign bond yields relative to swaps yields across the board. Comparing the situation to that of Europe, the present paper concludes that the debt crisis in the euro area has not affected the perception of sovereign risks of Asian economies. In fact, a fall in exchange rate and spillover risks, combined with stronger fundamentals, have led to a continued normalization of Asian sovereign spreads since the height of the financial crisis.     

South African competition policy on excessive pricing and its relation to price gouging during the COVID-19 disaster period

The declaration of a state of national disaster in South Africa, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was followed by excessive-pricing regulations pertaining to certain consumer and medical products and services. The regulations and their application suggest an intertemporal benchmark to judge excessive pricing, deviating from previous practice. Intertemporal comparisons assume a structural shift during COVID-19 that changes competitive conditions, related to changes in consumer behaviour. Such comparisons must also account for demand and cost changes. While the COVID-19 regulations allow for cost-based price increases, demand-based increases are not explicitly accounted for, suggesting that the regulations are framed more generally as price-gouging regulations. The differences between price-gouging and excessive-pricing benchmarks depends on the type of disaster-period demand shock. They are similar following a transitory demand spike, provided sufficient time is allowed for dynamic price behaviour, but differ markedly when demand is elevated for the duration of the disaster period. Applying simple cost-based comparisons in recently concluded cases against smaller retailers are consistent with excessive pricing, given the presence of a demand spike. To the extent that these involve persistently higher demand, cases against wholesalers and larger retailers will be more complicated, as such demand must be reflected in competitive prices.     

Bank dependency on foreign funding and global liquidity shocks: The importance of US monetary policy for a developing country

We examine international spillover effects of US monetary policy on bank lending in Cambodia, using unique data about loan disbursements and the funding structures of Cambodian banks from 2013Q1 to 2019Q2. The banking sector in a developing country is likely dependent on foreign funding, while the dependency could be the source of vulnerability to international monetary and economic conditions. We empirically document that US monetary policy is likely to be transmitted to Cambodian bank lending through foreign funding. We also document that Cambodian banks change their risk-taking behavior in response to the spillover effects of US monetary policy. Furthermore, these results are robust for US monetary policy, but weak and not robust for the monetary policies of the Cambodian bank’s major shareholders’ home countries, suggesting that US monetary policy should be primarily taken into account in supervising banks that are reliant on foreign funding, in addition to domestic economic conditions.     

Redressing gender inequality in employment: the national and sub-regional policy 'fit'

This article examines the 'fit' between policy development regarding gender inequality in employment at sub-regional and national (UK) level, in particular focusing on the experience of women. Drawing on research undertaken in Coventry and Warwickshire, the article explores the question of how policy development at sub-regional level fits with national policy, and whether the sub-region is an appropriate, or effective, level at which to develop policy on gender inequality in employment. It is argued that while there needs to be recognition of the limited ability of sub-regional policy to confront structural issues, policy development at this level does offer potential strengths in redressing both gender inequality in employment and the relative lack of a gender dimension in local economic development.     

流动性过剩背景下我国存款准备金政策特点及其政策效果分析

存款准备金政策作为货币政策三大工具之一,具有猛烈性、时滞性和被动性等特点。2006年7月以来,为解决日益严重的流动性过剩问题,中国人民银行连续21次调整法定存款准备金率。本文主要从存款准备金政策的特点出发,结合近年来我国的经济运行情况,着重分析本轮中央银行存款准备金政策的特点、效果及其在执行过程中存在的问题。最后在此基础上提出相应的政策建议。