Natural Resources And The Macroeconomy

These contributions bring both theoretical models and case studies to bear on the consequences of natural resource discoveries in developed and developing countries. Whether it is natural gas in the Netherlands, oil in the UK, Norway, or Mexico, or minerals in Australia, these discoveries have been accused of causing severe structural problems, which have been given the name "Dutch Disease." Although a sizeable literature dealing with various aspects of the Dutch Disease has now developed, this is the first attempt to confront theory with evidence. Natural Resources and the Macroeconomycontains contributions by such scholars as Alan Gelb, Ricardo Martin, Kadir R. Yurukoglu, and Shahid A. Chaudhry (all at the World Bank); Jeroen J. M. Kremers (Oxford University); Julie Aklaksen and Olav Bjerkholt (Central Bureau of Statistics, Oslo); Lance Taylor (MIT); William Branson (Princeton); Partha Dasgupta (University of Cambridge); and Ronald Jones (University of Rochester). The editors, J. Peter Neary (University College, Dublin) and Sweder Van Wijnbergen (World Bank) have written the opening chapter, Natural Resources and the Macroeconomy: A Theoretical Framework. Other topics include: Adjustment to Windfall Gains: A Comparative Analysis of Oil Exporting Countries; Government and the Dutch Disease in the Netherlands; Policy Analysis of Shadow Pricing, Foreign Borrowing, and Resource Extraction in Egypt; Certainty Equivalent Procedures in the Macroeconomic Planning of an Oil Economy: The Case of Norway; A Macro Model of an Oil Exporter: Nigeria; Commodity Export Prices and the Real Exchange Rate in Columbia: The Money-Inflation Link; Booming Sectors and Structural Change in Australia and Britain; Indonesia's Other Dutch Disease: Economic Effects of the Petroleum Boom. The book concludes with a roundtable discussion which illustrates the divergent views among economists of the consequences of natural resource booms and the appropriate policies which should be adopted toward them. The book is based on a conference held in June 1985 by the Centre for Economic Policy Research in London.

To investigate the effects on Papua New Guinea’s economy of substantial liquified natural gas revenues arriving in 2015, we employ a model to examine the macroeconomic effects of a scalingup of natural resource windfall revenues and the implications for a variety of policy responses. The model is a multi-sector dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model, and features components that allow for a detailed study of the effects of both fiscal and monetary policy in response to a positive shock to the mineral resource value of a country. The model contains tradable, non-tradable, and mining sectors, as well as an independent central bank and fiscal authority. We calibrate the model to the current economy of Papua New Guinea and run a suite of policy simulations. We find that macroeconomic effects from a resource boom typically associated with Dutch Disease effects such as a real appreciation and a fall in tradable sector production stem largely from the non-tradable component of government spending. The central bank can offset the real appreciation, but not without crowding out the private sector. A sovereign wealth fund (SWF), combined with a smooth capital spending path, entails the best means of dealing with macroeconomic volatility and maintaining a stable fiscal regime.

This paper takes stock of the economic performance of resource rich countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) over the past forty years. While those countries have maintained high levels of income per capita, they have performed poorly when going beyond the assessment based on standard income level measures. Resource rich countries in MENA have experienced relatively low and non inclusive economic growth as well as high levels of macroeconomic volatility. Important improvements in health and education have taken place but the quality of the provision of public goods and services remains an important source of concerns. Looking forward we argue that the success of economic reforms in MENA rests on the ability of those countries to invest boldly in building inclusive institutions as well as high levels of human capacity in public administrations.

This paper provides deeper insights on a few themes with regard to the experience with macroeconomic management in resource-rich developing countries (RRDCs). First, some stylized facts on the performance of these economies relative to their non-resource peers are provided. Second, the experience of Fund engagement in these economies with respect to surveillance, programs, and technical assistance is assessed. Third, the experience of selected countries with good practices in the management of the natural resource wealth is presented. Fourth, the experience of IMF advice in helping RRDCs set up resource funds is discussed. Finally, the main themes and messages from the IMF staff consultation with external stakeholders (CSOs, policy makers, academics) are presented.

Some resource-rich developing countries are in the process of harnessing immense mining resources towards inclusive growth and prosperity. Nevertheless, tapping into natural resources could be challenging given the large front-loaded investment, volatile capital flows and exposure to global commodity markets. Public investment is needed to remove the often-large infrastructure gap and unlock the economic potential. However, too rapid fiscal outlays could push the economy to its limit of absorptive capacity and increase macro-financial vulnerabilities. This paper utilizes a structural model-based approach to analyze macroeconomic impacts of different public investment strategies on key fiscal and non-fiscal variables such as debt, consumption, sovereign wealth fund, and real exchange rates. We apply the model to Mongolia and draw policy recommendations from the analysis. We find that fiscal policy adjustment, particularly moderating infrastructure investment and optimizing investment efficiency is needed to maintain macroeconomic and external stability, as well as to boost the long-term sustainable growth for Mongolia.

This text has been written primarily for the specialist market of second and third year undergraduate and post-graduate students of economics. The clear explanations and basic principles that underpin the text, however, make it readily accessible to non-economists coming to environmental economics from diverse programmes of study. Natural Resource and Environmental Economics is among the leading textbooks in its field. Well written and rigorous in its approach, this third edition follows in the vein of previous editions and continues to provide a comprehensive and clear account of the application of economic analysis to environmental issues. This new edition has evolved with the times and been thoroughly updated to reflect recent developments in environmental issues and policies, such as forestry, biodiversity and pollution control. The early chapters explain the development and role of environmental economics before further chapters advance the student at a suitably challenging but achievable level.

Reduction of poverty is a tremendous and persistent challenge for the global community. Given that the livelihood of millions is at stake, there is an urgent need to reconsider the causes of and the remedies for poverty. Poverty and its reduction are closely linked to the natural-resources base. The quality and bounty of the local environment certainly affect living conditions of the poor and their poverty is often seen as a contributing factor to the degraded condition of the local environment. Teasing apart the direction of causality in this resource–poverty nexus is a serious empirical challenge. This book contributes to an improved understanding of the economic dimensions of environmental and natural-resource management and poverty alleviation. The ten chapters of the book offer an overview of the current knowledge concerning the relation between poverty, environment and natural-resource use. Three sides of the debate receive particular attention. First, the relation between resource use and poverty is discussed from a theoretical point of view. Second, it is questioned whether payments for environmental services or considering values of resources can be an effective tool for stimulating both sustainable resource use and poverty alleviation. Third, alternative strategies to break the land degradation–poverty cycle are discussed.