Developing countries now use monetary policy as part of their adjustment programmes but its targets, the tools, and the theory were developed for advanced countries. Low income countries do not have the sophisticated financial sectors that rich ones can assume, and the shocks and size of adjustment which they face may be much greater. Using six country studies, with special analysis of the roles of the external sector and the informal financial sector, this book analyses the interaction among monetary policy, the financial sector, and development.

This paper examines the role of corruption in the design of monetary policies for developing countries in a framework of fiscal and monetary interaction and obtains several interesting results. First, pegged exchange rates, currency boards, or dollarization, while often prescribed as a solution to the problem of a lack of credibility for developing countries, is typically not credible in countries with serious corruption. Second, the optimal degree of conservatism for a Rogoff (1985)-type central banker is an inverse function of the corruption level. Third, either an optimally designed inflation target or an optimal-conservative central banker is preferable to an exchange rate peg, currency board, or dollarization.

The COVID-19 crisis has fractured the pre-existing structural rigidities and institutional fragilities in the economies of developing countries more than ever, necessitating a rethinking of fiscal and monetary policies, the main vehicles for relief, recovery and reconstruction. This book examines the barriers to transformation in developing countries in the wake of the pandemic and analyses the paths to recovery based on an economic policymaking agenda. It juxtaposes fiscal and monetary policies and state-building from pre- and post-colonial periods to the present-day context. It employs an interdisciplinary approach and ventures beyond the well-rehearsed tendency to explain the state of developing countries by considering the experiences of advanced economies. The book utilises data on three levels: the aggregate level using world data, the single-country context with case studies and a cross-country assessment for comparative analysis. Further, the book critically assesses the relevance of different schools of thought and provides nuanced, thought-provoking theoretical apparatuses applicable to developing countries, as well as allowing the reader to undertake a country-specific analysis through the detailed historical country case studies undertaken in each chapter. Each chapter has a detailed and separate theoretical and empirical section for the ease of understanding of the key propositions in the book. The book will find an audience among scholars and researchers alike, who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the formulation of fiscal and monetary policies, specifically in developing countries. For policymakers and policy advocates, the book will serve as the groundwork for monetary and fiscal policies in the context of developing countries, providing more relevant instruments for transformational pathways.

The issue of economic development and monetary stability has produced one of the most passionate debates in economic literature. Yet, much of the evidence employed in this debate is contradictory. Monetary and Financial Policies in Developing Countries: Growth and Stabilization brings together diverse views on the subject within a coherent framework. The work includes: * a balanced assessment of empirical findings and their theoretical foundations on the role of money and growth * a discussion of financial liberalization reform in developing countries * an analysis of monetary policy as an instrument of economic stabilization * an examination of the monetary supply and demand process in developing countries * a study of the relationship between money, credit, the balance of payments, inflation and the exchange rate system * a reflection on market failures and the role of government.

Consideration on the use of fiscal and monetary policies in less developed countries to overcome the three sets of obstacles to development largely because of socio-political constraints. The three major obstacles to development are: inadequate investment; misallocation of investment resources; and internal and external imbalance i.e. inflation and balance of payments deficits.

The book gives a broad coverage of the monetary policy issues in Low Financial Development Countries (LFDCs). These low and lower middle income countries are characterized by a predominance of bank finance, shallow financial markets, low financial inclusion, weak integration with world capital markets and a high degree of informality in economic activity. Monetary policy acquires special twists, making it different in many aspects from the policies followed in advanced and emerging market economies. The book covers the main facets of monetary policy making, using an approach that combines the discussion of theoretical arguments, of results from empirical studies and of policy experiences relevant for LFDCs. The book presents the monetary policy instruments they use and assesses the specificities of their monetary transmission mechanism. It evaluates the advantages, drawbacks and challenges of the different nominal anchors they may choose from: exchange rate targeting, monetary targeting and inflation targeting. This discussion is set against the background of the three main goals pursued by central banks: price, output and financial stability. Particular attention is devoted to the issue of the credibility of central banks and to the trade-offs they face when external shocks, to which these countries are very vulnerable, lead to conflicts among the three goals they pursue. The book also covers more specific topics, such as the challenges raised by fiscal dominance and by dollarization, the implications of informal labor markets and of microfinance institutions for monetary policy-making and the role of models for forecasting and policy evaluation.

Monetary economics is concerned with the role of money in economic activities. The development of monetary theory and policy plays a significant role in the growth and development of various economies. This has far-reaching implications for various sectors of the economy through several channels, including inflation, employment, interest rates, exchange rates, consumption, government spending, investment, and the level of economic activity. Much of the literature to date has focused on developed economies. This book, however, is an essential guide to the monetary and economic systems of emerging and developing countries. The book contributes to the role of monetary policy in macroeconomic stabilisation by examining the characteristics and recent developments in emerging and developing countries’ monetary and economic systems, including lessons learned in monetary policy and the associated challenges, the role of building blocks of monetary theory, and policy frameworks used in practice, especially looking at why and how these issues are relevant in these economies. It provides theoretical underpinnings and critical issues relating to various aspects of monetary theory, including the role of money, monetary systems, money supply, demand for money, central banking, monetary policy, and the instruments for its implementation in emerging and developing countries. Furthermore, it presents relevant cases, illustrating the intricacies of the monetary systems in these countries. This invaluable resource elucidates the significant differences between developed and emerging and developing economies. It contributes to the field by providing a comprehensive understanding of monetary economics for students, scholars, researchers, policymakers, and monetary and economic policy practitioners.

The transmission of monetary policy to credit aggregates and the real economy can be impaired by weaknesses in the contracting environment, shallow financial markets, and a concentrated banking system. We empirically assess the bank lending channel in Uganda during 2010–2014 using a supervisory dataset of loan applications and granted loans. Our analysis focuses on a short period during which the policy rate rose by 1,000 basis points and then came down by 1,200 basis points. We find that an increase in interest rates reduces the supply of bank credit both on the extensive and intensive margins, and there is significant pass-through to retail lending rates. We document a strong bank balance sheet channel, as the lending behavior of banks with high capital and liquidity is different from that of banks with low capital and liquidity. Finally, we show the impact of monetary policy on real activity across districts depends on banking sector conditions. Overall, our results indicate significant real effects of the bank lending channel in developing countries.

Monetary policy in Yemen is largely rudimentary and ad hoc in nature. The Central Bank of Yemen's (CBY) approach has been based on discretionary targeting of broad money without any clear target to anchor inflation expectations. This paper argues in favor of a new formal monetary policy framework for Yemen emphasizing a proactive and rule-based approach with a greater direct focus on price stability in the context of a flexible management of the exchange rate. Although, as in many developing countries, institutional capacity is a concern, adopting a more formal framework could impel the kind of changes that are required to strengthen the ability of the CBY in achieving low and stable rates of inflation over the medium term.

The strength of this book is that it summarises a vast amount of the modern literature in monetary economics. . . the book provides detailed and clear descriptions of monetary models. . . This comprehensive volume is a useful compendium of the monetary economics literature of the second half of the 20th century, which has to a certain extent been over taken by events. Paul Wachtel, Asian-Pacific Economic Literature This well-researched and finely crafted book is a valuable addition to the literature on monetary policy in developing countries. It explains the concepts and tools of monetary policy in a simple manner and discusses how monetary policy works in developing Asia in a historical context within the framework of an outward-oriented development strategy. I am not aware of any other book that covers the organisational and institutional aspects of major central banks in developing Asia. Prema-chandra Athukorala, Australian National University This book elaborates the key concepts, principles and models of inflation and monetary policy and explains how they remain relevant and useful to the design and conduct of monetary policy in developing Asia. In this rapidly growing region, price stability remains important and therefore monetary policy has gained increasing importance. Even while emphasising the importance of the classical approach, the book discusses alternative frameworks and points out areas where a consensus is emerging. The review of the literature is extensive and careful. Along with developing this theme, the book reviews the structure and governance of most central banks in the Asia-Pacific and discusses how they conduct monetary policy to achieve price stability under different monetary policy frameworks. The book fills a gap in the central banking and monetary policy literature and has no close competitors. It should be useful to both students and policymakers in developing Asia. Salim Rashid, University of Illinois, US The 1997 East Asia crisis exposed many economic policy weaknesses in the Asia-Pacific region. In his latest book, Dr Hossain provides students with a refreshing up-to-date reference text on the concepts and principles of money, banking and finance in developing countries which differ in many ways to monetary institutions and practices in developed countries, which conventional monetary textbooks focus on. I thoroughly recommend it. A.P. Thirlwall, University of Kent, UK This timely book reviews the modern literature on inflation and monetary policy, and highlights contemporary issues in the design and conduct of monetary policy for price stability in developing Asia. Akhand Akhtar Hossain surveys the evolution of central banking and provides an introduction to the structure, function and governance of central banks in selected countries in the Asia-Pacific. The author also examines the major theories, models and approaches to inflation and monetary policy, and evaluates monetary policy regimes in selected countries in the Asia-Pacific in a historical context. This eloquent and comprehensible book will prove to be invaluable to undergraduate students on monetary theory and policy as well as banking and financial courses. Researchers exploring monetary policy concepts, principles and case studies will warmly welcome this book, as will policy-makers who have an interest in macroeconomics, monetary and financial policies.