Multi-destination firms and the impact of exchange-rate risk on trade

Based on a French firm-level database that combines information on balance-sheet and destination-specific export information over the period 1995–2009, we document a new stylized fact related to the heterogeneous reaction of exporters to RER volatility: we show that strongly multi-destination firms tend to reduce significantly more their exports to a destination that faces higher exchange-rate volatility. We also show that, following an exchange-rate volatility shock in a given country, strongly multi-destination firms increase exports to all other destinations served. This specific behavior of multi-destination firms has significant aggregate implications. First, the bilateral aggregate impact is increasingly negative with the weight of multi-destination firms in total exports towards the considered destination. Second, the reallocation behavior of large, multi-destination firms ultimately translates into stable total French exports (summed over all destinations).     

A contribution to the empirics of convergence in real GDP growth: the role of financial crises and exchange-rate regimes

This paper investigates the convergence in real gross domestic product growth focusing on the impact of financial crises (i.e. banking crises, currency crises and debt crises) and nominal exchange-rate regimes (i.e. fixed, intermediate and flexible) on convergence. To that end, we compute four convergence indicators (σ-convergence, γ-convergence, absolute β-convergence and conditional β-convergence) for 163 countries classified into four income groups during the period 1970–2011. The results suggest that (i) there is evidence in favour of σ-convergence and γ-convergence only for high-income countries; (ii) absolute and conditional β-convergence are present in each of the four income groups of the countries under study; (iii) exchange-rate regimes seem to play some role in upper-middle and lower-middle-income countries; and (iv) financial crises have a negative and significant impact on GDP growth independently of the income level of the countries.     

“WTO能解决汇率争端吗?

本文围绕WTO对汇率问题是否有管辖权、是否有解决汇率争端的规则、WTO是否适合解决汇率争端等几个方面进行了分析,指出汇率问题宜磋商解决,在WTO成员方没有就影响贸易的汇率问题达成约束性纪律之前,现有规则难以解决这一争议。     

人民币汇率对中国物价影响的实证研究

物价和汇率是开放经济体中两个核心的经济变量,两者间的相互作用对各国经济的影响也日渐显著。采用规范分析以及定量分析与定性分析相结合的研究方法,在研究汇率的传递效应基础上,利用Eviews6.0软件,采用协整检验和因果检验等方法,对人民币汇率改革以来的汇率对物价的传递效应进行实证研究,可以发现在2005年7月到2009年2月这一特定时期内,汇率不是物价变动的原因。     

An Assessment of the Currency Board Regime in Bosnia and Herzegovina

This paper describes currency board regime operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and assesses their performance and sustainability in the context of the economic, political, and institutional environment. To the best of our knowledge, our study seems to be unique in this respect. Based on our analysis, we judge that Bosnia and Herzegovina's currency board regime is well suited and appropriate, given the country's history, its current state, and its future goals. Nevertheless, we believe that the key to the currency board's sustainability, and an eventual accession to the European Union, is a stronger legal and regulatory infrastructure and a more unified political system.     

Rational But Poor? An Explanation for Rural Economic Livelihood Strategy

Using panel data for six rural sub‐Saharan Africa countries, this article tests two hypotheses: (i) household‐specific staple food price bands resulting from market failures in the presence of liquidity constraints and rainfed agriculture induces rural household specialisation in food crops as an economic livelihood strategy; (ii) specialisation in food crops yields inferior welfare than diversification, and keeps households trapped in poverty. The results lend strong support to both hypotheses, reinforcing the need for public investment in rural infrastructure in order to encourage household livelihood diversification for improved welfare.     

Long-run consequences of finite exchange rate bubbles

This paper draws on the literature on exchange rate instability and on sunk-cost hysteresis to analyze the long-run effects of exchange rate bubbles. To address the issue, after discussing the implications of sunk-cost hysteresis for aggregate supply, we propose two versions of the Dornbusch (1976) model of exchange rate determination. We modify it so as to allow for endogenous adjustment in productive capacity, with the aggregate investment function being linear with respect to the exchange rate in one version and non-linear in the other. For both versions, we provide solutions for a Blanchard-type bubble developing on the foreign exchange market. We find that, if capacity adjusts non-linearly, such a bubble will affect the steady state of the economy.     

Global Value Chains,Horizontal Intra-Industry Trade and the Heterogeneous Firm

This paper examines global value chains at the level of the heterogeneous firm. The context is a world of horizontal intra-industry trade, characterized by imperfect competition and product differentiation at the firm level. Standard microeconomic tools are employed to assess the effects of inter-firm dissimilarities in both demand and supply on firms’ responses to changes in trade policy. In this set-up, dissimilarities in firm characteristics play roles similar to factor endowments and technology differences in traditional trade models. When cross-border production sharing (“fragmentation”) is introduced into this framework, those differences in firm characteristics determine the degree to which individual firms will enter into production networks. In this context, horizontal and vertical intra-industry trade elements interact in their effects on firm decisions. Traditional comparative advantage considerations still govern the choice of off-shored activities, while direct competition between imports and exports expands the range of possible outcomes. Finally, it is shown that cross-border production sharing reduces the sensitivity of firms to variations in exchange rates, matching a phenomenon that has been observed in traditional country-level models.     

An input–output model of exchange-rate pass-through

The impact of the exchange rate on price formation is often debated through a mechanism called the exchange-rate pass-through. Studies of the pass-through generally rely on econometric analysis implemented on time series data. This study examines pass-through to the domestic price level through an input–output model. The proposed model is implemented on a sample of countries, and a number of different variables connected to the pass-through are examined. A comparison across countries and sectors highlights the importance of the construction sector in price formation. National income is negatively related to the pass-through. A high dependence on intermediate imports implies higher pass-through. Price level volatility and pass-through are positively related; whereas a country’s monetary policy stance has no apparent effect. The effect of exchange-rate volatility is unclear; it is negative for the real effective exchange rate, the connection is very weak in the case of the nominal exchange rate.     

Nonprofit organisations,management and marketing strategies for survival: The case of philharmonic bands

Philharmonic bands, as nonprofit organizations (NPO's), need to adopt a perception of themselves as self‐sustaining systems and implement a viable business plan that plausibly demonstrates how the organisation can deliver products and services valued by its surrounding environment and thereby obtain the resources necessary for growth and sustainability. There is a gap in the literature, especially in the field of philharmonic marketing. Therefore, this study seeks to contribute towards boosting knowledge about marketing in the philharmonic band sector, leading to continued research in this artistic field that has so often proven crucial to community development. It seeks specifically to analyse strategies for capturing and maintaining the loyalty of potential musicians as well as the tools deployed by entities to promote and stage their activities and attract audiences, sponsors and services. This research adopted qualitative methodology with information being collected through a questionnaire with open questions sent by email to a selected sample of 200 philharmonic bands in Portugal. The results indicate that philharmonic bands currently find it more difficult to attract members, the attraction process has become more demanding and so they must become more efficient in this task. This analysis found similarities in the strategies applied by philharmonic bands to capture resources and for promotion, particularly focusing on potential musicians, resources, audiences and investors.