The policy reform termed dollarization, adoption of a foreign currency as the domestic currency, is widely believed to be irreversible. The paper presents counter examples, while noting that the Latin American "hard pegs" present problems that are more complex. It then uses Ecuador, the...

The paper sheds light on the apparent success of dollarization in Ecuador. The experience of Argentina with convertibility is used to anchor the analysis. Two key factors are seen to play the most important role; first, the behavior of the real exchange rate and second, the source of external...

Ecuador's dollarization was no marginal optimization decision. It was fundamental, dramatic and designed to completely transform central elements of the economy. Since orthodox, a-historical perspectives are inadequate in explaining such significant policy reversals, the paper uses a...