Unemployment Hysteresis in the US States and the EU: A Panel Approach

This paper applies the panel unit root test proposed by Im, Pesaran and Shin (1997) to test for unemployment hysteresis in the US states and the EU countries against the alternative of a natural rate. The results show that hysteresis for the EU and the natural rate for the US states are the most plausible hypotheses.     

Economic Fundamentals and Exchange Rate Movements

This paper provides a non-parametric test of modern exchange rate models that is an alternative to econometric methods. The economic fundamentals from three well-known exchange rate theories are used to devise quarterly net predictions for the movement of sterling against four major currencies over the period 1973-98. Each model is examined under six expectations mechanisms. Although the test can lead to very diverse predictions from different models, it is shown that there is very little difference in the predictive success of rival exchange rate theories. The paper shows that the role assigned to market expectations is more crucial to the success of the models than the particular specification of the fundamental variables.We find some weak evidence to suggest that extrapolative and adaptive expectations mechanisms seem to offer a better specification of exchange rate expectations as compared to regressive and rational expectation mechanisms. One significant advantage of the test is that it can readily deal with hybrid models and heterogeneous expectations; however, neither route seems to improve exchange rate forecasts.     

Exchange Rate Movements and the Distribution of Productivity

This paper examines how movements in the real exchange rate affect the distribution of labor productivity within industries. Appreciations of the local currency expose domestic plants to more competition as export opportunities shrink and import competition intensifies. As a result, smaller less productive plants are forced from the market, which truncates the lower end of the productivity distribution, and surviving plants face a reduction in physical sales (unless they adjust their mark‐up), which, in the presence of scale economies, can lower productivity. Using quantile regression, we find that movements in the exchange rate do, indeed, have distributional effects on productivity.     

Remittances,Exchange Rate Regimes and the Dutch Disease: A Panel Data Analysis

Using disaggregated sectorial data for developing and transition countries, this study shows that rising levels of remittances have spending effects that may lead to real exchange rate appreciation, and resource movement effects that favor the nontradable sector at the expense of tradable goods production. These are two characteristics of the phenomenon known as “Dutch disease”. The results further suggest that resource movement effects that favor the nontradable sector should operate stronger under fixed nominal exchange rate regimes.     

Understanding Exchange Rate Movements during the 2008 Financial Crisis

During the 2008 financial crisis, many advanced economies, whose banking systems suffered significant capital losses, experienced large and rapid exchange rate depreciations followed by prolonged and gradual appreciation in subsequent periods. In order to understand one possible explanation of these observed exchange rate movements, we develop a simple model of a highly leveraged banking sector in which banks obtain part of their funding from abroad. A fall in bank net worth leads to foreign lenders demanding a higher risk premium on credit supplied to domestic banks. This higher risk premium can be met if the exchange rate experiences an appreciation along the adjustment path, since this raises the value of the bank's earnings in terms of the foreign currency for every period that the foreign risk premium is elevated. In order for the exchange rate to appreciate by a large amount along the adjustment path, it must initially become undervalued – relative to its long-run level – so that in equilibrium the market is willing to bid up its value in subsequent periods. This thus gives rise to the large initial depreciation of the exchange rate followed by its prolonged and gradual appreciation.     

Bulgarian Agriculture and EU Accession

This article analyses markets, income and agricultural policy changes in Bulgaria after its accession to the EU. A country AG-MEMOD model, consisting of 18 commodities organised in four sub-models (crops, livestock, milk & dairy and a link between crops and livestock) is applied. The model is an econometric, dynamic, partial-equilibrium and multi-product one. In order to examine the policy environment in Bulgaria, two scenarios are designed: baseline or non-accession (N-Ac) and accession (Ac). The accession scenario should have a very positive effect on the crop sector in Bulgaria, whereas the effect is the opposite on the livestock sector. The most remarkable results come from the milk sector. The effect on income is also positive, despite the pessimistic macroeconomic projections.     

人民币汇率、贸易收支与失业率——来自中美两国相关数据的分析

人民币升值是否能够改善美国贸易收支失衡?是否能够带来美国失业率的下降?以此争论为背景,本文采用人民币汇率改革以来的中美相关数据作为分析依据,从马歇尔—勒纳条件及中美贸易产品的相似性两个假设出发,分析了后危机时代人民币汇率变动与美国贸易收支失衡及其失业率的关系,主要得出以下几点结论:(1)中美两国之间贸易产品缺乏汇率—需求弹性,人民币汇率变动对美国进出口数量的影响微乎其微;(2)中美两国贸易产品具有较强的互补性,竞争性则较弱,贸易对就业具有促进作用;(3)人民币升值既不能改善美国的贸易收支失衡,也不能带来美国失业率的下降。     

Financial Market Imperfections and the Impact of Exchange Rate Movements on Exports*

This paper analyzes empirically the role of financial market imperfections in the way countries’ exports react to a currency depreciation. Using quarterly data for 27 developed and developing countries over the period 1990–2005, we find that the impact of a depreciation on exports will be less positive—or even negative—for a country if: (i) firms borrow in foreign currency; (ii) they are credit constrained; (iii) they are specialized in industries that require more external capital; (iv) the magnitude of depreciation or devaluation is large. This last result emphasizes the existence of a nonlinear relationship between an exchange rate depreciation and the reaction of a country's exports when financial imperfections are observed. This offers a new explanation for the consequences of recent currency crises in middle‐income countries.     

On the Aggregate Impact of Exchange Rate Variability on EU Trade

The paper assesses the aggregate impact of exchange rate variability on EU trade. A small econometric model is constructed and estimated for five countries: France, Italy, Germany, the UK and Belgium. The results show that there exists a long-term relationship between trade variables and relative costs, demand, exchange rates and expected exchange rates. No such relation exists with respect to volatility. It is also found that while the most important determinants of trade variables are relative wages and demand, variability is also responsible for a decrease in the growth rate of these variables.     

Trade Structure during Accession to the EU

This article discusses the degree of trade restructuring between the EU and the new member states during the accession process. Intra-industry trade is selected as a composite indicator of trade structure. Factor endowments, market size and distance are the most important determinants of intra-industry trade. The estimations for the OECD countries are used to compute predictions for EU15 trade with the CEE countries. In general, this approach predicts well the EU15 trade structure with CEE, which proves significant restructuring in the new member states. High shares of intra-industry trade imply lower welfare losses and less resistance to further deepening of integration in the participating countries.     

汇率价格传导机制下人民币汇率悖论的理论与实证解析

笔者通过建立VAR模型,结合我国实际情况,探讨了人民币"外升内贬"传导机理,实证分析人民币汇率悖论的传导路径。研究结果表明中国汇率升值引起外汇占款增加,外汇占款的增加导致货币供应量的增加,最终引起物价水平上涨。     

Exchange Rate Movements and Employment Growth: An OCA Assessment of the CEE Economies

According to the traditional optimum currency area approach, not much will be lost from a very hard peg to a currency union if there has been little reason for variations in the exchange rate in the past. This paper takes a different approach and highlights the fact that high exchange rate volatility may also signal high costs for labor markets. The impact of exchange rate volatility on labor markets in the CEECs is analyzed, revealing that volatility vis-à-vis the euro significantly lowers employment growth. Hence, eliminating exchange rate volatility could be considered a substitute for removing employment protection legislation.     

菲利普斯曲线非线性特征考察:来自失业率及通胀率等国际面板数据

通过利用OECD国家1971~2007年期间的失业率、通胀率等国际面板数据考察菲利普斯曲线的非线性特征。表明,菲利普斯曲线不是简单的线性关系,而是存在明显的非线性特征。面板门限模型和平滑转换模型的结论显示,通胀率与失业率的关系随着通胀率的变化而变化,在高通胀状态,二者的替代关系非常明显,而在低通胀状态,二者的替代关系则明显减弱甚至消失。     

出口贸易及其名义汇率与实际汇率风险——基于中国对主要贸易伙伴国面板数据的实证研究

本文采用中国对28个主要贸易伙伴国出口的面板数据,对比分析了2005年汇改前后人民币名义汇率波动风险和实际汇率波动风险对中国出口的影响.通过实证研究后发现:无论是汇改前还是汇改后的人民币实际汇率波动风险对中国的出口均未产生显著影响;而汇改后,人民币名义汇率波动风险却对中国的出口产生了显著的负向影响.由此可见,相对于实际汇率波动风险而言,名义汇率波动风险对中国出口的影响更显重要.     

利率走势分析

<正>我国现阶段的利率主要是作为调节各方面利益的工具而存在,而不是作为灵敏的经济杠杆而存在。影响利率水平的主要因素我国现阶段的利率主要是作为调节各方面利益的工具而     

Macroeconomic Coordination of Exchange Rate and Wage Movements under Quasi-Sterilization: Singapore Experience

This paper analyzes Singapore's two-pronged macroeconomic strategy of low-inflation characterized by the quasi-sterilization mechanism and the coordination of exchange rate and wage movements. The monetary authority's inflation-averse attitude holds the key to the existence of a stable Nash equilibrium of the exchange rate and wages. During both economic upturns and downturns, the exchange rate moves one for one inversely with the growth of wages in the long run. The required steady monetary growth is underpinned by the quasi-sterilization mechanism whereby every dollar increase in net foreign reserves leads to a decrease of 0.84 dollars in net domestic credit.     

Effects of Fiscal Contractions: The Importance of Preceding Exchange Rate Movements

We examine the importance of exchange rate and money supply movements for the macroeconomic outcome of fiscal contractions and find: (i) contractions associated with a favorable macroeconomic outcome have been preceded by significantly higher real depreciations as compared to contractions associated with a less favorable macroeconomic outcome and (ii) contractions preceded by real depreciations improve expectations about future income and generate higher private consumption growth. We discuss policy implications for countries both outside and inside the EMU.
JEL classification : E 21; E 63; H 30     

Turkey and the EU: Politics and Economics of Accession

This paper discusses political and economic aspects of Turkishaccession. Under present rules, Turkey would have the greatestnumber of council votes within twenty years, and receive thelargest budget transfer. Free migration may increase the Turkishimmigrant population in Germany from 2 to 3.5 million in thirtyyears. Most of the economic effects will be felt by Turkey,particularly in agriculture. The main obstacles to accessionare not economic, but political. Historical experience stopsTurkey from eliminating the decisive political role of the military,giving Kurds and other minorities cultural rights and upholdingbasic human rights.(JEL F02, F15, F22)     

“汇改”后人民币汇率制度分析

自2005年7月21日人民币汇率形成机制进行重大改革以来,人民币对美元的基准汇率一直处于单边升值的态势.从宏观经济特征和模型实证分析中可以得出,虽然"汇改"后人民币货币篮子发挥了一定的作用,人民币汇率的灵活性在逐渐增强,但主要还是参考美元汇率来进行调节,属于"软钉住美元的汇率制度".