Using vector autoregressive (VAR) methodology, this paper empirically investigates the macroeconomic effects of oil price fluctuations on Trinidad and Tobago. Overall, we find that the price of oil is a major determinant of economic activity of the country. Our impulse response functions suggest...

This study examines the disciplanary effect of monetary union in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); specifically, whether there is a systematic difference between fiscal discipline in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), a sub-regular grouping in CARICOM and other CARICOM members which...

This paper provides an assessment of the size and composition of household debt in Barbados over the period 1990 to 2010. First, the study estimates the size of household indebtedness, with particular emphasis on recent trends in household debt and the main providers of credit. Second, it...

Using the unrestricted error correction model proposed by Pesaran et al (2001), this paper investigates the relationship between economic uncertainty and money demand in Barbados. Results suggest that in the short run, agents tend to increase money holdings in the face of heightened uncertainty....

This paper evaluates whether the tourism cycles of Barbados can be regarded as a direct consequence of business cycles of the UK, US, Canada and Barbados. The cyclical components of the series are extracted using the structural time series framework by Harvey, 1989, and the interrelations...

The Central Bank of Barbados often intervenes – buys or sells from the foreign exchange (FX) reserves – to ensure the daily clearing of the FX market. This paper estimates an FX intervention function for Barbados using a dynamic complementary log-log model. Three general findings emerged:...

This paper uses a two-step Markov-switching error correction model to determine the impact of government employment on the labour market in Barbados, a small island developing Caribbean state. The results suggest that there is partial crowding out, as public sector hiring reduces private...

This paper investigates the business cycle properties of remittances to four Caribbean countries – Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. To extract the cyclical components, the study uses the structural time series framework proposed by Harvey (1989). Variance decompositions and...