Patrick Osakwe - Latest

• November 13, 1998

  Currency crises and fixed exchange rates in the 1990s: A review

  Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 1998 Patrick Osakwe, Lawrence L. Schembri

  Currency crises in the 1990s, especially those in emerging markets, have sharply disrupted economic activity, affecting not only the country experiencing the crisis, but also those with trade, investment, and geographic links. The authors review the theoretical literature and empirical evidence regarding these crises. They conclude that their primary cause is a fixed nominal exchange rate combined with macroeconomic imbalances, such as current account or fiscal deficits, that the market perceives as unsustainable at the prevailing real exchange rate. They also conclude that currency crises can be prevented through the adoption of sound monetary and fiscal policies, effective regulation and supervision of the financial sector, and a more flexible nominal exchange rate.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Exchange rates

• Evaluating Alternative Measures of the Real Effective Exchange Rate

  Staff Working Paper 1998-20 Robert Lafrance, Patrick Osakwe, Pierre St-Amant

  This paper discusses the merits and shortcomings of alternative price indices used in constructing real effective exchange rate indices and examines the effects of different weighting schemes. It also compares selected measures of the real effective exchange rate in terms of their ability to explain movements in Canadian net exports and real output. The paper […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers

• Fundamentals, Contagion and Currency Crises: An Empirical Analysis

  Staff Working Paper 1998-10 Mark Kruger, Patrick Osakwe, Jennifer Page

  This paper examines the determinants of currency crises in Latin America, Asia and Africa. It asks two basic questions: (a) Are currency crises linked to economic fundamentals? and; (b) Is there any evidence of a contagion effect after controlling for the potential effects of economic fundamentals? Using pooled annual data for 19 developing countries spanning […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Exchange rates JEL Code(s): F, F3

• International Borrowing, Specialization and Unemployment in a Small, Open Economy

  Staff Working Paper 1998-2 Patrick Osakwe, Shouyong Shi

  Empirical evidence suggests that the unemployment rate and the export/GNP ratio are positively correlated with external debt across developing countries. This paper develops a dynamic model that provides an explanation for the aforementioned relationships. The central idea of our paper is that international borrowing affects unemployment and specialization patterns by unevenly changing the risk-sharing structure—across […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): International topics JEL Code(s): F, F3, J, J6

• Food Aid Delivery, Food Security and Aggregate Welfare in a Small Open Economy: Theory and Evidence

  Staff Working Paper 1998-1 Patrick Osakwe

  A small-open-economy model is developed to examine how the method of food aid disbursement affects labor employment, food security and aggregate welfare, in recipient countries, in an environment in which private sector firms pay efficiency wages to induce effort. Two forms of food aid delivery are considered: first is project food aid, under which food […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Development economics JEL Code(s): J, J4, O, O1, Q, Q1