Time -series estimates for individual countries and cross -section and time -series estimates for a number of countries show the positive effects of interest rates on savings.

In recent years, the appropriate level and structure of interest tates have come to be seen as major issues in connection with stabilization programs undertaken by members. These issues arise from consideration both on the demand side, as interest rates affect the magnitude of aggregate demand, and on the supply side, as they influence the volume and quality of investment and, thus, the growth of output.

Mobilization of national saving is an important determinant of investment and growth. It assumed greater importance in the case of the Iranian economy, given the difficult external environment. This paper discusses the recent saving performance of the Iranian economy, particularly in relation to investment needs. Following a quantitative evaluation of the determinants of saving, the paper reviews the main implications for domestic economic policies in the period ahead.

This paper reviews and analyzes broad developments and considers specific policy measures to foster saving. The chapter also describes trends in national saving rates of industrial countries in recent years and briefly discusses the prospects over the medium term. The paper also discusses the effects of policy measures on national saving and investment. Fiscal, monetary, and exchange rate policies are all shown to have major implications for saving in developing countries. Fiscal restraint is especially important, since it increases national saving by both raising public saving and reducing the country's dependence on foreign borrowing. Exchange rate devaluation and the unification of exchange markets also appear to be effective in stimulating national saving. Interest rates and financial reforms play a crucial role in effecting an efficient allocation of resources, including the mobilization of savings to finance domestic investment.

The analysis of this paper indicates that the unsatisfactory overall economic performance of sub-Saharan African countries during 1986–93 was due to inappropriate policies pursued by a number of countries. The countries that have pursued broadly appropriate adjustment policies have performed much better, achieving positive per capita GDP growth. The analysis is supported with an econometric investigation of the effects of macroeconomic policies, structural reforms, and exogenous factors on economic performance. The results indicate that progress in achieving macroeconomic stability and implementing structural reforms have been conducive to better growth, savings, and private investment.

Ten original essays examine the political and institutional factors that influence the initiation and efficiency of preferential credit policies in Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Chile, Mexico, and Brazil.

The growing integration of capital markets has strengthened incentives for greater international coordination of economic and financial policies. Structural changes in these financial market, however, may have undermined the effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy and complicated market access by developing countries. These are among the findings of this study of capital flows in the 1970s and the 1980s.

Money and Monetary Policy in Less Developed Countries: A Survey of Issues and Evidence focuses on monetary policy, the financial intermediation process, and the role of money in economic development in less developed countries (LDCs). Topics covered include financial development and economic growth in underdeveloped countries; instruments and techniques used in the implementation of monetary policy: and econometric policy models. This book is comprised of 46 chapters and begins with a discussion on the main lines of thought in the field of money and monetary policy in LDCs, with emphasis on the significant empirical results. The reader is then introduced to the role of money in the development process; production and monetization in the subsistence sector; some aspects of financial policies and central banking in developing countries; and the efficacy of monetary rules for LDCs. The subsequent chapters explore monetary policy instruments such as interest rates, credit controls, and exchange rates; credit policy and the balance of payments in developing countries; and price and output behavior in the Indian economy from 1951 to 1973. A semiannual macroeconometric model of the Philippines for the period 1967-1976 is also described. This monograph will be a valuable resource for economists, economic policymakers, and central bankers as well as students.