Currency boards are institutions that replace central banks and ensure that a country's currency can be purchased at a given price (or exchange rate) upon demand, thus imposing a fixed exchange rate on international transactions. These systems have their advantages--they prohibit the use of liberal monetary policies that lead to high inflation--but they can also limit the ability of an economy to react to changes in international economic conditions if foreign currency reserves are depleted. Such threats to the stability of the financial sector may stem from economic events that originate outside the national economy (external shocks), such as the fallout from the Mexican peso devaluation in late 1994. This paper presents the proceedings of a World Bank roundtable discussion held in 1996 to examine the impact of external shocks and to address the challenges countries face when operating under a currency-board system of currency exchange, with a particular emphasis on how certain costs can be minimized while maximizing the gains. Special attention is given to the currency-board systems in Argentina and Hong Kong.

The Asian crisis of 1997-1998 was a major influence on macroeconomic thinking concerning exchange rate regimes, the functioning of international institutions, such as the IMF and the World Bank, and international contagion of macroeconomic instability from one country to another. Exchange Rate Regimes and Macroeconomic Stability offers perspectives on these issues from the viewpoints of two Nobel Laureates, an IMF economist, and Asian economists. This book contributes new ideas to the ongoing debate on the role of domestic monetary authorities and international institutions in reducing the likelihood of international financial crises, as well as the problems associated with various exchange rate regimes from the standpoint of macroeconomic stability. Overall, the chapters contained in this volume offer interesting perspectives, which have been stimulated by the recent events in the foreign exchange market. They provide a useful reference for anyone interested in the development of exchange rate regimes, and represent considerable reflection by economists half a century after Bretton Woods.

This book offers a perspective on the constitutional and administrative experiment that has been taking place in Hong Kong, based on a substantial period under Chinese rule.

What is Nixon Shock In 1971, in response to rising inflation, President Richard Nixon of the United States of America implemented a series of economic measures, the most significant of which were wage and price freezes, surcharges on imports, and the unilateral cancellation of the direct international convertibility of the United States dollar to gold. These measures were collectively referred to as the Nixon shock. How you will benefit (I) Insights, and validations about the following topics: Chapter 1: Nixon shock Chapter 2: Gold standard Chapter 3: Reserve currency Chapter 4: Hard currency Chapter 5: Bretton Woods system Chapter 6: Devaluation Chapter 7: Foreign exchange reserves Chapter 8: International finance Chapter 9: History of the United States dollar Chapter 10: Triffin dilemma Chapter 11: Monetary hegemony Chapter 12: Smithsonian Agreement Chapter 13: Robert Triffin Chapter 14: Currency intervention Chapter 15: Exorbitant privilege Chapter 16: Fixed exchange rate system Chapter 17: Exchange-rate flexibility Chapter 18: International monetary system Chapter 19: London Gold Pool Chapter 20: History of monetary policy in the United States Chapter 21: United States and the International Monetary Fund (II) Answering the public top questions about nixon shock. (III) Real world examples for the usage of nixon shock in many fields. Who this book is for Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of Nixon Shock.

We use panel quantile regressions to study extreme (rather than average) movements in the distribution of the real effective exchange rate (REER) of small open economies. We document that global uncertainty (VIX) and global financial conditions (U.S. monetary policy) shocks have a strong impact on the distribution of the REER changes, with larger impacts in the tails of the distribution, and especially in economies with shallower FX markets, lower central bank credibility, and higher credit risk (i.e., weaker macro fundamentals). Foreign exchange intervention (FXI) partially offsets the impact of these shocks, especially in the left tail (large depreciations) and particularly in economies with weaker fundamentals but, more importantly, when FXI is used sporadically. Thus, our results highlight the importance of deepening FX markets, improving central bank credibility, and strengthening macro fundamentals against the potential dynamic trade-offs of overreliance on a policy that would exacerbate the previously mentioned frictions. While our results point to low effectiveness of capital flow management in preventing large REER movements, they seem to enable more impactful foreign exchange intervention in the immediate aftermath of shocks.

This book explores the exchange rate regime choice and the role played by the exchange rate in the economy. Approaching the classification of exchange rate regimes from theoretical, practical and historical perspectives, the book discusses pertinent case studies, including the choice of exchange rate regime in the post-conflict case of Iraq.

Eighteen well-known policymakers and economists discuss the rising use of currency substitution in Latin America. They examine the effects of currency boards on substitute currencies and on national stabilization programs. Latin American countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Uruguay increasingly use dollars as a substitute for domestic currency. The experts debate whether the region should encourage or resist this trend. Topics include the effects of substitution on inflation, liquidity, and exchange rates. The discussions on Argentina, Peru, and Brazil focus on the ways in which currency boards have affected stabilization in these countries. They consider whether such boards can strengthen fiscal discipline and speed economic adjustment. A currency board issues money that is converted into a foreign reserve currency at a fixed exchange rate. This independent institution takes over the central bank's role as the sole issuer of base money. It also manages the exchange rate to keep the currency stable and convertible.

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the attractions and disadvantages of currency board arrangements in their various institutional configurations. It asks what defines a currency board arrangement, what are their strengths and weaknesses, and what constraints they place on macroeconomic policies. It also reviews country experiences with these arrangements.

The first comprehensive work on globalization within the context of sustainable development initiatives in Africa.