Since 2011, Germany has consistently been the country posting the largest current account surpluses in the world. In recent years, this has led to a number of calls from economists and policy-makers in and outside Germany, and from international institutions and organisations, asking the Federal...

In this paper, we examine the various links among external debt, trade openness and current account in Sub-Saharan Africa, utilizing an approach that highlights current account from the perspective of saving and investment. We explore whether external debt aids the subsequent adjustment process...

In this paper, we model the relationship between oil revenue and current account balance dynamics in Nigeria using quarterly data from 1987Q1 to 2015Q4. We employ both the Linear ARDL and Nonlinear ARDL models and we also account for multiple structural breaks using a test that allows for...

In this paper, we examine the various links among external debt, trade openness and current account in Sub-Saharan Africa, utilizing an approach that highlights current account from the perspective of saving and investment. We explore whether external debt aids the subsequent adjustment process...

The empirical literature points the financial intermediation, measured by the level of credits relative to GDP in the economy, as one of the factors which affects the current account dynamics in a given country. This paper tries to estimate and then quantify the possible impact that household...

Trade and technological change continually alter the workplace and labor-market outcomes, with consequences for economy-wide welfare and the distribution of real incomes. This report assesses the state of economic research into those areas, with a particular focus on empirical methodologies and...

During the 2011-2015 period, Turkey's current account deficit as a percentage of GDP was one of the largest among the OECD countries. In this paper, we examine if this deficit can be considered sustainable using the Engel and Rogers (2006) approach. In this framework, the current account of a...

Over the last decade, the economic linkages between Switzerland and the rest of the world have been transformed. First, merchanting and the chemical industry account for an increasing share of international trade, with chemicals exports expanding robustly in recent years despite the European...

This paper compares financial assistance programmes of four euro-area countries (Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Cyprus) and three non-euro-area countries (Hungary, Latvia, and Romania) of the European Union in the aftermath of the 2007/08 global financial and economic crisis-which were supported...

This paper compares financial assistance programs of four euro-area countries (Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Cyprus) and three non-euro-area countries (Hungary, Latvia, and Romania) of the European Union in the aftermath of the 2007/08 global financial and economic crisis - which were supported...

Die hohen deutschen Leistungsbilanzüberschüsse werden heftig kritisiert. Als Erklärung wird unter anderem eine zu schwache Investitionstätigkeit in Deutschland angeführt. Dieser Zusammenhang ignoriert jedoch die Internationalisierung der Investitions- und Produktionsstandorte sowie...

We run simulations of current account rebalancing scenarios in the Euro Area and the European Union based on a closed multi-country input-output model. The spillover effects of domestic demand booms in the Northern European surplus countries are non-negligible, but not large. While they cannot...

Over the last decade, the economic linkages between Switzerland and the rest of the world have been transformed. First, merchanting and the chemical industry account for an increasing share of international trade, with chemicals exports expanding robustly in recent years despite the European...

Trade and technological change continually alter the workplace and labor-market outcomes, with consequences for economy-wide welfare and the distribution of real incomes. This report assesses the state of economic research into those areas, with a particular focus on empirical methodologies and...

We investigate the interactions across current account misalignments, Real Effective Exchange Rate misalignments and financial (or output) gaps within EU countries. We apply panel techniques, including a Bayesian panel VAR, to 27 EU members over the period 1994-2012. We find that, for the euro...

This paper studies export adjustment to negative shocks in currency unions. I consider the hitherto ignored role of trade costs and taxes in internal devaluations, which have been brought to the fore of international policy during the recent euro periphery crisis. Trade costs can limit the...

Eine makroökonomisch orientierte Lohnpolitik in Deutschland in den Jahren 2001 bis 2015 hätte bewirkt, dass die realen Nettoexporte deutlich weniger stark gestiegen wären. Aber sie hätte das Entstehen der deutschen Handels- und Leistungsbilanzüberschüsse nicht nennenswert gebremst. Zwar...

A macroeconomically oriented wage policy in Germany in the years 2001 to 2015 would have led to a reduced growth of real net exports but would not have significantly reduced Germany's trade and current account surpluses. While real exports would have declined, higher export prices would have led...

Turkey's high current account deficit has been at the core of macroeconomic policy discussions in recent years. Quantifying the role of cyclical factors in driving the current account fluctuations is essential for designing an appropriate policy response and evaluating the impact of policy...

Der deutsche Leistungsbilanzüberschuss ist seit 2012 noch einmal deutlich gestiegen und liegt nun weit über der Warnschwelle der EU von 6 Prozent der Wirtschaftsleistung. Doch für den jüngsten Anstieg ist fast vollständig der Importpreisrückgang verantwortlich, der den Nominalwert der...

Large current account deficits, and the corresponding reliance on capital flows from abroad, can increase a country's vulnerability to periods of heightened risk and uncertainty. This paper develops a framework to evaluate such vulnerabilities. It highlights the central importance of two...

After reviewing the main determinants of the current eurozone crisis, this paper discusses the feasibility of introducing fiscal currencies as a way to restore fiscal space in peripheral countries, like Greece, that have so far adopted austerity measures in order to abide by their commitments to...

This paper presents an empirical investigation of the determinants of current account imbalance for the large sample of developed, emerging and developing countries during 1980-2011. Using dynamic panel GMM techniques, this study characterizes that current account balance is positively...

After reviewing the main determinants of the current Eurozone crisis, this paper discusses the feasibility of introducing fiscal currencies as a way to restore fiscal space in peripheral countries, such as Greece, which have so far adopted austerity measures in order to abide by their...