The South Pacific region has been lagging behind in growth in comparison to similarly placed island countries in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean regions. This paper, which undertakes an empirical study, establishes that the rate of growth, market size, openness policy and real exchange rate are...

The reasons behind the frequent occurrences of excess liquidity, especially in the recent months since 2007, are well known and documented. They include low investor confidence following the military coups and related political uncertainties with their lingering effects for a while. What are...

Purpose – Under the fixed exchange rate regime Fiji's currency, which is pegged to a basket of currencies of its major trading partners, has been experiencing severe pressures. The purpose of this paper is to study annual exchange market pressure (EMP) over a 31-year (1975-2005) period and...

This paper investigates the nexus between economic growth and oil price in small Pacific Island countries (PICs). Except Papua New Guinea, none of the 14 PICs has fossil any fuel resources. Consequently, the other 13 PICs are totally dependent on oil imports for their economic activities. Since...

Growing public debt of Fiji has been causing concerns all around. As part of countercyclical measures, the Government stepped up public expenditure from 2001 in response to the adverse consequences of the 2000 civilian coup, which witnessed a decline in investor confidence, resulting in a steep...

In the context of the ongoing current global economic downturn, mobilisation of foreign exchange earnings has assumed considerable importance. By adopting an augmented Solow model approach, this paper examines the long-run growth effects of Fiji's inward remittances during a three-decade period...

Given the fact that Fiji has a very narrow range of exportable commodities with a high degree of dependence on tourism earnings, maintenance of a competitive real exchange rate is of utmost importance. This paper undertakes an empirical analysis of Fiji's real exchange rate, by estimating...

This paper re-visits the subject of a common currency for the Pacific region, comprising 14 Pacific island countries (PICs) and the region’s two advanced countries, Australia and New Zealand. The PICs are highly dependent on Australia and New Zealand for trade in goods and services and aid...

The South Pacific region has been lagging behind in growth in comparison to similarly placed island countries in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean regions. This paper, which undertakes an empirical study, establishes that the rate of growth, market size, openness policy and real exchange rate are...

Capital mobility and absence of direct taxation have made Vanuatu, an attractive Offshore Financial Centre (OFC) in the Pacific, since its independence in 1980. Consequently, Vanuatu has been depending on trade taxes. As Vanuatu would become part of a Pacific free trade area by 2015, policy...