In structuring this conference, the organizers have made the sensible decision to devote separate sessions to the problems of developing and developed countries. When attempting to confront unsustainable fiscal policies, developed economies are relieved of many of the economic constraints with which developing countries must deal. With greater wealth, more stable and credible governments, and m...

The Sovereign Money Initiative will be submitted to the Swiss people in 2018. This paper reviews the arguments behind the initiative and discusses its potential impact. I argue that several arguments are inconsistent with empirical evidence or with economic logic. In particular, controlling sight deposits neither stabilizes credit nor avoids financial crises. Also, assuming that deposits at the...

The ultimate goal of macroprudential policy is to prevent and reduce the costs systemic financial crises, thus contribute promoting sustainable economic growth. However, despite active role played by such policies in recent decades, there still limited empirical evidence regarding whether prudential regulation effective enhance stability preventing mitigating crisis risk. This paper seeks close...

The financial crisis that surfaced in 2007 has stressed the need to identify the ultimate sources of the incentives that were behind the preceding credit and housing bubbles. To lower the likelihood of future financial collapses, prudent economic policies as well as an adequate regulatory and supervisory framework for financial institutions are required. Monetary policy, in turn, should be dire...

Since about 1990, many developing and transition countries have undertaken market-oriented reforms in their electric power sectors. Despite the widespread adoption of a standard policy model, reform processes and outcomes have often failed to meet expectations. Drawing on an extensive literature review and case studies in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, this paper describes com...

We study optimal macroprudential policy in a model in which unconventional shocks, in the form of news about future fundamentals and regime changes in world interest rates, interact with collateral constraints in driving the dynamics of financial crises. These shocks strengthen incentives to borrow in good times (i.e. when “good news” about future fundamentals coincide with a low-world-interest...

We study optimal macroprudential policy in a model in which unconventional shocks, in the form of news about future fundamentals and regime changes in world interest rates, interact with collateral constraints in driving the dynamics of financial crises. These shocks strengthen incentives to borrow in good times (i.e. when “good news” about future fundamentals coincide with a low-world-interest...

Recently, and partly as a result of the currency crises in emerging markets, a broad debate on reforming the international financial system has begun. Talk of a “new financial architecture” abounds, and academics, financiers, and politicians have offered blueprints for reforming existing institutions. Some have talked of creating a global lender of last resort, while others have argued that it ...