Optimal Capital Controls and Real Exchange Rate Policies: A Pecuniary Externality Perspective

Gianluca Benigno, Huigang Chen, Christopher Otrok, Alessandro Rebucci () and Eric Young

No 22224, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: A new theoretical literature studies the use of capital controls to prevent financial crises in models in which pecuniary externalities justify government intervention. Within the same theoretical framework, we show that when ex-post policies such as defending the exchange rate can contain or resolve financial crises, there is no need to intervene ex-ante with capital controls. On the other hand, if crises management policies entail some efficiency costs, then crises prevention policies become part of the optimal policy mix. In the standard model economy used in the literature with costly crisis management policies, the optimal policy mix combines capital controls in tranquil times with support for the real exchange rate to limit its depreciation during crises times. The optimal policy mix yields more borrowing and consumption, a lower probability of financial crisis, and twice as large welfare gains than in the socially planned equilibrium with capital controls alone.

JEL-codes: E52 F38 F41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cba, nep-dge, nep-pr~, nep-mac, nep-mon and nep-opm
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (108)

Published as Gianluca Benigno & Huigang Chen & Christopher Otrok & Alessandro Rebucci & Eric R. Young, 2016. "Optimal Capital Controls and Real Exchange Rate Policies: A Pecuniary Externality Perspective," Journal of Monetary Economics, .

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Related works:
Journal Article: Optimal capital controls and real exchange rate policies: A pecuniary externality perspective (2016)
Working Paper: Optimal capital controls and real exchange rate policies: a pecuniary externality perspective (2016)
Working Paper: Optimal Capital Controls and Real Exchange Rate Policies: A Pecuniary Externality Perspective (2015)
Working Paper: Optimal capital controls and real exchange rate policies: A pecuniary externality perspective (2015)
Working Paper: Optimal Capital Controls and Real Exchange Rate Policies: A Pecuniary Externality Perspective (2014)
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