Estimating the effect of exchange rate flexibility on financial account openness

This chapter deals with the estimation of the effect of exchange rate flexibility on financial account openness. The purpose of our analysis is twofold: On the one hand, we try to quantify the differences in the estimated parameters when exchange rate flexibility is treated as an exogenous regressor. On the other hand, we try to identify how two different degrees of exchange rate flexibility (intermediate vs floating regimes) affect the propensity of opening the financial account. We argue that a simultaneous determination of exchange rate and financial account policies must be acknowledged in order to obtain reliable estimates of their interaction and determinants. Using a panel data set of advanced countries and emerging markets, a trivariate probit model is estimated via a maximum simulated likelihood approach. In line with the monetary policy trilemma, our results show that countries switching from an intermediate regime to a floating arrangement are more likely to remove capital controls. In addition, the estimated coefficients exhibit important differences when exchange rate flexibility is treated as an exogenous regressor relative to the case when it is treated as endogenous.