The sources of macroeconomic fluctuations in sub-Saharan Africa are examined by comparing the CFA franc countries with the non--CFA franc countries. External shocks, especially terms of trade shocks, appear to have a greater influence on fluctuations of output and the real exchange rate in CFA...

In the aftermath of the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system, considerable attention has been paid to the problems faced by developing countries in choosing their exchange rate regimes. In the first instance, the question addressed is whether it is possible or desirable for a developing country...

Primary commodities still account for the bulk of exports in many developing countries. However, real commodity prices have been declining almost continuously since the early 1980s. The appropriate policy response to a terms of trade shock depends importantly on whether the shock is perceived to...

This paper focuses on the short- and long-run supply-side effects of disinflation programs in a two-sector economy. Fixing the exchange rate reduces the wedge between the return on foreign assets and that on domestic capital, leading to an increase in the latter. After an initial real exchange...

A model is developed to estimate the effects of export subsidies on the supply of exports. With data for Costa Rica over the 1980s, it is shown that although the export subsidy scheme in operation led to an increase in exports, the direct fiscal costs of the scheme were substantial. Furthermore,...

Both analytical models and casual empiricism suggest that the timing of the recessionary costs associated with inflation stabilization in chronic inflation countries may depend on the nominal anchor that is used. Under money-based stabilization, the recession occurs at the beginning of the...