Resources Booms And Macroeconomic Adjustments In Developing Countries

Chowdhury addresses fundamental issues of policy management in resource-based developing countries, by providing an extension of the existing 'Dutch Disease' theory and its applications to the developing country context. The impact of resources booms is of paramount importance for the developing economies. To date the analytical and empirical investigations of these issues have not been available. Essentially, this study will fill this gap. The book investigates the macroeconomic impact of a resources boom and the long-term growth implications of related policy choices with reference to Papua New Guinea. Like many other primary commodity exporting developing economies, Papua New Guinea experienced several short-lived export booms over the past two and a half decades, providing a fascinating case study of potential gains from resources booms and the accompanying complex problems of policy management. This study also incorporates a comparative study of resources boom and policy management issues between Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Nigeria.

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.

Our Continent, Our Future presents the emerging African perspective on this complex issue. The authors use as background their own extensive experience and a collection of 30 individual studies, 25 of which were from African economists, to summarize this African perspective and articulate a path for the future. They underscore the need to be sensitive to each country's unique history and current condition. They argue for a broader policy agenda and for a much more active role for the state within what is largely a market economy. Finally, they stress that Africa must, and can, compete in an increasingly globalized world and, perhaps most importantly, that Africans must assume the leading role in defining the continent's development agenda.

With its higher economic growth in recent years South Asia is becoming an increasingly important region in the global economy. This volume provides a very useful introduction to the economics of the region and will be of considerable interest to both students and researchers. John Weiss, University of Bradford, UK The editors and contributors are to be congratulated for this comprehensive and original survey of the enormously important and diverse South Asian economies. Hal Hill, Australian National University The Handbook on the South Asian Economies edited by Wahiduddin Mahmud and Anis Chowdhry is a collection of essays on political economy of development of all seven South Asian countries. It is also one of only a few books available in the market covering all economies of South Asia. Hence, it fills a gap in the literature on South Asian Development. One very important aspect of the book is a clear recognition by the editors that South Asia s development will have to be studied and analysed within the context of its socio-political institutions and hence not by relying solely on its economic policy regimes. I recommend this book to scholars of all disciplines. Kartik Roy, University of Queensland, Australia This Handbook on the South Asian Economies (a companion to the Handbook on the Northeast and Southeast Asian Economies) is a comprehensive and unique collection of original studies on the economic and social development of countries in South Asia. The analytical narratives draw upon a wide range of extant literature in an easily accessible way, whilst highlighting the impact of socio-political factors on economic outcomes. The introductory chapter by the editors provides a comprehensive survey of the main features of South Asian economic development, especially in respect of the policy reforms since the late 1970s. The Handbook seeks to understand the varying degrees of achievements in economic transformation and social development in various parts of South Asia, and ponders whether these experiences indicate alternative pathways of socio-economic progress or provide a unique framework for a South Asian development model. The experiences of economic reforms across the South Asian countries, with their distinctive socio-economic settings and public cultures, may thus provide fresh perspectives on the emerging development paradigms. The Handbook is indeed based on the premise that development economics and South Asia have a lot to learn from each other. As with the Handbook on the Northeast and Southeast Asian Economies, this latest Handbook will be an invaluable reference work for many years to come for researchers, academics and students of Asian studies and economics. Policymakers interested in learning more about the background and future opportunities and challenges posed by these economies will also find much to engage them.

The second edition of this landmark book explores how natural resources contribute to development in poor economies.

A comprehensive and rigorous text that shows how a basic open economy model can be extended to answer important macroeconomic questions that arise in emerging markets. This rigorous and comprehensive textbook develops a basic small open economy model and shows how it can be extended to answer many important macroeconomic questions that arise in emerging markets and developing economies, particularly those regarding monetary, fiscal, and exchange rate issues. Eschewing the complex calibrated models on which the field of international finance increasingly relies, the book teaches the reader how to think in terms of simple models and grasp the fundamentals of open economy macroeconomics. After analyzing the standard intertemporal small open economy model, the book introduces frictions such as imperfect capital markets, intertemporal distortions, and nontradable goods, into the basic model in order to shed light on the economy's response to different shocks. The book then introduces money into the model to analyze the real effects of monetary and exchange rate policy. It then applies these theoretical tools to a variety of important macroeconomic issues relevant to developing countries (and, in a world of continuing financial crisis, to industrial countries as well), including the use of a nominal interest rate as a main policy instrument, the relative merits of flexible and predetermined exchange rate regimes, and the targeting of “real anchors.” Finally, the book analyzes in detail specific topics such as inflation stabilization, “dollarization,” balance of payments crises, and, inspired by recent events, financial crises. Each chapter includes boxes with relevant empirical evidence and ends with exercises. The book is suitable for use in graduate courses in development economics, international finance, and macroeconomics.