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Tight Money, Real Interest Rates, and Inflation in Sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Edward F. Buffie

    (International Monetary Fund)

Abstract

The consequences of tight monetary policy are analyzed in an optimizing currency-substitution model of a small, open economy that operates under an open capital account and a flexible exchange rate. There is a reasonably good fit between the dynamics generated by the model and the stylized facts in the tight-money episodes that occurred in Kenya in 1993 and Nigeria in 1989-91. The study's results shed light on two issues: why tight money has provoked stupendous increases in inflation and the real interest rate in some episodes, and whether tight money is a foolish, unsustainable policy that always worsens the fiscal deficit and raises the inflation rate in the long run. Copyright 2003, International Monetary Fund

Suggested Citation

  • Edward F. Buffie, 2003. "Tight Money, Real Interest Rates, and Inflation in Sub-Saharan Africa," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 50(1), pages 1-6.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:imfstp:v:50:y:2003:i:1:p:6
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    Cited by:

    1. Sergey Pekarski, 2017. "Tight Money and the Sustainability of Public Debt," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 13(1), pages 191-223, February.
    2. Mr. Edward F Buffie & Mr. Stephen A. O'Connell & Ms. Catherine A Pattillo & Mr. Christopher S Adam, 2007. "Monetary Policy Rules for Managing Aid Surges in Africa," IMF Working Papers 2007/180, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Yin Germaschewski, 2016. "Getting help from abroad: The macroeconomics of foreign direct investment in infrastructure in low‐income countries," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 49(4), pages 1502-1535, November.
    4. Achua, Joseph Kwaghkor & Yusuf, Mariam & Wakdok, Samuel Stephen, 2022. "Nonlinear public debt and resource rent nexus in highly indebted resource-rich sub-Saharan economies: Evidence from Nigeria," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    5. Germaschewski, Yin, 2020. "Stabilization policy, infrastructure investment, and welfare in a small open economy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 322-339.
    6. Manoj Atolia, 2003. "Productivity-Enhancing Reforms, Private Capital Inflows, and Real Interest Rates in Africa," Working Papers wp2003_10_02, Department of Economics, Florida State University, revised Dec 2008.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E63 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Comparative or Joint Analysis of Fiscal and Monetary Policy; Stabilization; Treasury Policy

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