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A provincial view of global imbalances: regional capital flows in China

Author

Listed:
  • Samuel Cudré

    (McKinsey & Co)

  • Mathias Hoffmann

    (University of Zurich
    University of Zurich Research Priority Program in Financial Regulation
    CESifo
    Australian National University)

Abstract

We model capital flows among Chinese provinces. A version of the present value model of the current account (PVMCA) with non-tradable goods and a savings wedge accounts for around 80% of the variation in inter-provincial capital flows over the 1986–2010 period. The PVMCA also allows us to identify the channels of external adjustment in capital flows at the province-level: variation in intertemporal prices (domestic and international interest rates, the provincial real exchange rate) and intertemporal variation in quantities (output, investment and government spending). We find that cross-province variation in the importance of these channels is correlated with the importance of private and state-owned enterprises and demographic factors. We discuss implications of our results for global imbalances in capital flows.

Suggested Citation

  • Samuel Cudré & Mathias Hoffmann, 2017. "A provincial view of global imbalances: regional capital flows in China," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 153(3), pages 573-599, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:weltar:v:153:y:2017:i:3:d:10.1007_s10290-017-0278-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10290-017-0278-0
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    Cited by:

    1. Lin, S. & Han, H., 2018. "Government size, institutional quality, and capital flows across regions in China: a specific exploration on the failure of capital flows across Shanhai Pass," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277515, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Chen, Changsheng & Girardin, Eric & Mehrotra, Aaron, 2017. "Global slack and open economy Phillips curves – A province-level view from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 74-87.
    3. Yushi Yoshida & Weiyang Zhai, 2021. "Revisiting the Glick–Rogoff Current Account Model: An Application to the Current Accounts of BRICS Countries," Dynamic Modeling and Econometrics in Economics and Finance, in: Gilles Dufrénot & Takashi Matsuki (ed.), Recent Econometric Techniques for Macroeconomic and Financial Data, pages 265-291, Springer.
    4. Deng, Liuchun & Wang, Boqun, 2016. "Regional capital flows and economic regimes: Evidence from China," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 80-83.
    5. Yu-Hsi Chou & Chun-Yen Tsai, 2021. "Sources of current account fluctuations in Taiwan: 1989–2015," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 2125-2151, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    China; Chinese provinces; Capital flows; Current account; Global imbalances; External adjustment; Present-value models; Regional business cycles;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F30 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - General
    • F32 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Current Account Adjustment; Short-term Capital Movements
    • F40 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - General

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