Choosing an exchange rate regime is one of the most important decisions in macroeconomic policymaking. Some countries may peg their currency to gain credibility and control domestic inflation, while others may be more prone to float due to the larger incidence of real shocks. In spite of the...

This paper uses Chile’s voucher system to provide new evidence on whether private schools are more efficient than publicly operated schools. It contributes to the world debate by analyzing a universal voucher system. It contributes to previous Chilean studies by reducing the selection bias and...

This paper uses a small open economy model to address two outstanding issues in monetary policy: (1) what restrictions on the policy rule ensure that the central bank does not introduce real indeterminacy into the economy, and (2) what is the optimal long run rate of inflation. The small open...

A model of external crises is developed focusing on the interaction between liquidity creation by financial intermediaries and foreign exchange collapses. The intermediaries' role of transforming maturities is shown to result in larger movements of capital and a higher probability of crises....

This paper examines Latin America’s access to international capital markets from 1980 to 2005, with particular attention to the role of domestic and external factors. To capture access to international markets, we use primary gross issuance in international bond, equity, and syndicated-loan...

This paper analyzes the role productivity growth had on disinflation in Chile during the 1990s. It argues that productivity growth was key in avoiding the output costs of stabilization in a highly indexed economy. Disinflation from the early 1990s through 1998 was costless. Among the many...

A number of recent papers have used policy simulations from small empirical macro models to assess the efficacy of inflation-forecast targeting. The macro models used to undertake the simulations differ significantly with the assumed degree of openness, an important factor for the analysis....

This paper presents a brief overview of the current state of financial development in Chile, comparing it with other countries. After providing a short summary of the most important financial reforms of past decades, we highlight the main strengths and weaknesses of Chile’s financial markets....

The introduction of inflation targeting has led to major progress in practical monetary policy. Nevertheless, inflation-targeting central banks can make substantial additional progress by being more specific, systematic, and transparent about their operational objectives (in the form of using an...

Given the theoretical disagreement on the effect of a devaluation on output, empirical evidence plays an fundamental role. Empirical findings have favored the view that devaluations are contractionary. In this paper the author argues that what stands behind these results is selection bias. In...