What determines the currency to which countries peg or "anchor" their exchange rate? Data for over 100 countries between 1980 and 1998 reveal trade network externalities are a key determinant of anchor currency choice. This implies currency anchoring strategies could be sub-optimal. Hence,...

In macroeconomic theory, a disproportionate amount of attention has been paid to models with 'global' or random interaction structures in which each agent interacts, or has an equal probability of interacting, with every other agent in the economy. By contrast, recent models have been developed...

In this paper, we examine the IMF's role in maintaining the access of emerging market economies to international capital markets. We find evidence that both macroeconomic aggregates and capital flows improve following the adoption of an IMF program, although they may initially deteriorate...

In this paper, we examine the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in maintaining the access of emerging market economies to international capital markets. We find evidence that both macroeconomic aggregates and capital flows improve following the adoption of an IMF programme, although...

The issue of the appropriate exchange rate regime for individual countries has been perennially lively, and the role played by international capital flows and domestic financial systems in determining the performance of these regimes has gained prominence in the policy debate. Using recent...

''Dollarization'' can be defined as the fraction of a country's total currency that is held in the form of U.S. dollars. Based on this definition, the Russian economy seems dollarized to a large extent. Anecdotal evidence indicates that dollar bills are widely used, not just as a store of wealth...

This paper provides an overview of diamond mining in sub-Saharan African countries, and explores the reasons for substantial differences in their tax rates and fiscal revenues from the sector, which mainly arise from differences in the incentives for smuggling. In a theoretical model, we show...