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Current Account Adjustment: Some New Theory and Evidence

Author

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  • Shang-Jin Wei

    (Columbia Business School, and NBER)

  • Jiandong Ju

    (International Monetary Fund and University of Oklahoma)

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a theory of current account adjustment that generalizes the textbook version of the intertemporal approach to current account and places domestic labor market institutions at the center stage. In general, in response to a shock, an economy adjusts through a combination of a change in the composition of goods trade (i.e., intra-temporal trade channel) and a change in the current account (i.e., intertemporal trade channel). The more rigid the labor market, the slower the speed of adjustment of the current account towards its long-run equilibrium. Three pieces of evidence are provided that are consistent with the theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Shang-Jin Wei & Jiandong Ju, 2008. "Current Account Adjustment: Some New Theory and Evidence," 2008 Meeting Papers 851, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    • Handle: RePEc:red:sed008:851
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E00 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - General
    • F3 - International Economics - - International Finance
    • F4 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance

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