Managing Capital Flows and Exchange Rates: Perspectives from the Pacific Basin

Description

Emerging economies have been the beneficiaries of sharply increased volumes of international capital inflows in the past decade. These inflows have eased foreign financing constraints and offered the potential for higher investment and growth. At the same time, they have posed challenges for policy makers by threatening to fuel inflation, adversely affect international competitiveness, and undermine domestic banking stability. The essays in this volume provide a timely and useful comparison of the experiences of emerging Pacific Basin countries in both Asia and Latin America.

"This is a very timely book that brings the reader to the forefront of current research on macroeconomic policy issues in economies subject to sizable capital flows. The papers were written before the recent Asian crises but the analyses, done by top-flight experts, summarize what is known on the subject. I strongly recommend the book both to professional economists and policy makers involved with these types of countries. Although the papers do not stay away from addressing occasionally technical points, the collection has sharp focus on highly relevant policy issues." Guillermo A. Calvo, University of Maryland "A truly prescient book. With the crises in Thailand, Indonesia and Korea, Asian exchange rates and capital flows are the topics of the day. This book provides the essential background for any economist seeking to understand it." Barry Eichengreen, University of California, Berkeley "An unusually well-thought out collection of high-caliber essays on the most pressing international economic policy problem of our time. Head and shoulders above the usual conference volume." Kenneth Rogoff, Princeton University "The essays in this volume...give a comprehensive analysis of the theoretical and policy issues related to international capital flows and exchange rates for developing economies in the Pacific Basin." Macroeconomics