An old yet rarely explored motive of hoarding international reserves advanced by Machlup (1966) is examined. Reserve accumulation behavior in Asia is driven by a psychological desire to keep up with neighboring countries, i.e., 'keeping up with the Joneses effect'.

We construct macro-and micro-panel data on international bank lending to six Asian economies—Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand—over the period 2000 to 2010 to analyze a number of objectives. The paper first examines the critical determinants not only to overall...

Our study brings into light evidence of the important role of the Chinese renminbi in shaping the exchange rate behavior of a select group of East Asian currencies. Results obtained suggest that there is an additional dimension to the ‘fear of appreciation’ or ‘fear of...

The global financial crisis exposed great shortcomings in the global economic architecture, generating extensive international debate about possible remedies for these deficiencies. The postwar global architecture was guided by major developed economies, centered around the IMF, the GATT, and...