Balance Of Payments 1965

Controlling inflation is among the most important objectives of economic policy. By maintaining price stability, policy makers are able to reduce uncertainty, improve price-monitoring mechanisms, and facilitate more efficient planning and allocation of resources, thereby raising productivity. This volume focuses on understanding the causes of the Great Inflation of the 1970s and ’80s, which saw rising inflation in many nations, and which propelled interest rates across the developing world into the double digits. In the decades since, the immediate cause of the period’s rise in inflation has been the subject of considerable debate. Among the areas of contention are the role of monetary policy in driving inflation and the implications this had both for policy design and for evaluating the performance of those who set the policy. Here, contributors map monetary policy from the 1960s to the present, shedding light on the ways in which the lessons of the Great Inflation were absorbed and applied to today’s global and increasingly complex economic environment.

This paper outlines the changes that took place in restrictive systems were largely a reflection of shifts in the balance of payments positions and outlook of member countries. The country surveys show that these changes were numerous. Several countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, took steps to moderate capital outflows. The range of restrictive devices applied by some countries appears to have widened in recent years. The use of advance import deposit requirements has spread, and more countries are applying surcharges to imports when in balance of payments difficulties. In contrast, a number of member countries whose restrictive systems have been progressively liberalized in recent years have relied on internal measures to meet temporary balance of payments difficulties rather than resort to restrictions. By making use of the IMF’s resources several member countries have been able to maintain or extend their liberalization policies.

Written by Margaret Garritsen de Vries, former Historian of the IMF, the book describes the policies and activities the IMF has pursued in helping members achieve balane of payments adjustment. Separate treatment is given to industrial and developing countries, since their balance of payments problems have differed. As examples, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Colombia, and Mexico as discussed.