From Crisis to Recovery


Book Description

It is interesting to note that after two years of recession in East Asia, almost all the countries in this region are rising again. In the wake of that sudden onslaught on the economies of East Asia, many new questions have come to the fore (and are waiting for the right answers), such as: How could the Asian countries have become so weak as to totally succumb to the financial crisis? What were the real causes of the crisis? What policy measures have the affected countries taken to combat the crisis and how effective have they been? As for the argument of OC hands-off policyOCO versus OC government interventionOCO, which approach was more appropriate for curbing the expansion of the crisis? What are the policy implications of resolving the crisis? Why is East Asia rising again after the two-year recession?. The editors of this volume organized a research team composed of 12 leading economists from the ten East Asian countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, mainland China and Japan. One expert from the United States was also invited; he was responsible for making an aggregate analysis of the interdependence of the region in the context of a financial crisis. Two meetings were held OCo the first in April 1999, the second in January 2000. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1.1: Introduction (97 KB). Chapter 1.2: the Importance of the Issue: The Financial Crisis in East Asia (86 KB). Chapter 1.3: Various Explanations of the Causes of the Financial Crisis (96 KB). Chapter 1.4: The Impacts of the Financial Crisis in East Asia (204 KB). Chapter 1.5: External Debt and Financial Crisis (124 KB). Chapter 1.6: Corruption and Nepotism Between Officials and Enterprises (143 KB). Chapter 1.7: A Model Used to Explain the Financial Crisis (117 KB). Chapter 1.8: The Role of the Government (89 KB). Chapter 1.9: The Function of the IMF (120 KB). Chapter 1.10: East Asia''s Recovery (84 KB). Chapter 1.11: The Purpose of this Volume (103 KB). Contents: An Overview of the Financial Crisis in East Asia (T-S Yu); Japan: Japan''s Bubble Economy and Asia (H S Lim); China: Financial Crisis and Chinese Economy (D-Q Xu); Korea: Korean Financial Crisis OCo The Crisis of a Development Model? (J Lee); Singapore: Coping with the Asian Financial Crisis OCo The Singapore Experience (K-J Ngiam); Hong Kong: Financial Crisis in the Case of Hong Kong OCo Last In, Last Out? (C Tuan & L F Y Ng); Taiwan: Financial Crisis in East Asia (T-M Huo); Thailand: 1997 Thai Financial Crisis (C Leenabanchong); Malaysia: Financial Crisis in Malaysia (M Ariff & M M-C Yap); Indonesia: Indonesia''s Responses to the Recent Economic Crisis (A Nasution); Philippine: The 1997-1999 Philippine Economic Downturn OCo A Preventable One (E A Tan); Recursive Dynamic CGE Analysis: The Road to Economic Recovery in Asia (Z Wang & D-Q Xu); Conclusion: Lessons and Policy Implications (T-S Yu & D-Q Xu). Readership: Professors and graduate students in economics and economists working in financial institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, ADB and commercial banks."




From Crisis To Recovery: East Asia Rising Again?


Book Description

It is interesting to note that after two years of recession in East Asia, almost all the countries in this region are rising again. In the wake of that sudden onslaught on the economies of East Asia, many new questions have come to the fore (and are waiting for the right answers), such as: How could the Asian countries have become so weak as to totally succumb to the financial crisis? What were the real causes of the crisis? What policy measures have the affected countries taken to combat the crisis and how effective have they been? As for the argument of “hands-off policy” versus “government intervention”, which approach was more appropriate for curbing the expansion of the crisis? What are the policy implications of resolving the crisis? Why is East Asia rising again after the two-year recession?The editors of this volume organized a research team composed of 12 leading economists from the ten East Asian countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, mainland China and Japan. One expert from the United States was also invited; he was responsible for making an aggregate analysis of the interdependence of the region in the context of a financial crisis. Two meetings were held — the first in April 1999, the second in January 2000.




Managing Currency Crises in Emerging Markets


Book Description

The management of financial crises in emerging markets is a vital and high-stakes challenge in an increasingly global economy. For this reason, it's also a highly contentious issue in today's public policy circles. In this book, leading economists-many of whom have also participated in policy debates on these issues-consider how best to reduce the frequency and cost of such crises. The contributions here explore the management process from the beginning of a crisis to the long-term effects of the techniques used to minimize it. The first three chapters focus on the earliest responses and the immediate defense of a currency under attack, exploring whether unnecessary damage to economies can be avoided by adopting the right response within the first few days of a financial crisis. Next, contributors examine the adjustment programs that follow, considering how to design these programs so that they shorten the recovery phase, encourage economic growth, and minimize the probability of future difficulties. Finally, the last four papers analyze the actual effects of adjustment programs, asking whether they accomplish what they are designed to do-and whether, as many critics assert, they impose disproportionate costs on the poorest members of society. Recent high-profile currency crises have proven not only how harmful they can be to neighboring economies and trading partners, but also how important policy responses can be in determining their duration and severity. Economists and policymakers will welcome the insightful evaluations in this important volume, and those of its companion, Sebastian Edwards and Jeffrey A. Frankel's Preventing Currency Crises in Emerging Markets.




The East Asian Crisis


Book Description

This paper reviews macroeconomic developments during the first year of the crisis in east Asia and draws some preliminary policy lessons. The crisis is rooted in the interaction of large capital inflows and weak private and public sector governance. At the same time, macroeconomic adjustment in these countries has resulted in some surprising outcomes, including severe economic contractions, low inflation, and rapid external adjustment. The lessons for crisis resolution include the importance of tight monetary policy early on for exchange rate stabilization, flexible fiscal policy, and comprehensive structural reform. Crises are avoided by prudent macroeconomic policies, diligent bank supervision, transparent data dissemination, strong governance, and forward-looking policymaking, even in good times.




Financial Sector Crisis and Restructuring


Book Description

An IMF paper reviewing the policy responses of Indonesia, Korea and Thailand to the 1997 Asian crisis, comparing the actions of these three countries with those of Malaysia and the Philippines. Although all judgements are still tentative, important lessons can be learned from the experiences of the last two years.




World Economic Outlook, April 2009


Book Description

This edition of the World Economic Outlook explores how a dramatic escalation of the financial crisis in September 2008 provoked an unprecedented contraction of activity and trade, despite active policy responses. It presents economic projections for 2009 and 2010, and also looks beyond the current crisis, considering factors that will shape the landscape of the global economy over the medium term, as businesses and households seek to repair the damage. The analysis also outlines the difficult policy challenges presented by the overwhelming imperative to take all steps necessary to restore financial stability and revive the global economy, and the longer-run need for national actions to be mutually supporting. The first of two analytical chapters, "What Kind of Economic Recovery?" explores the shape of the eventual recovery. The second, "The Transmission of Financial Stress from Advanced to Emerging and Developing Economies," focuses on the role of external financial linkages and financial stress in transmitting economic shocks.




Asian Economic Cooperation in the New Millennium


Book Description

This volume is the outgrowth of a conference held at Peking University in May 2002, jointly sponsored by the American Committee on Asian Economic Studies, the Peking University School of Economics, and the China Reform Forum. The contributors include leading scholars from Asia as well as specialists on Asia from the US, Europe, and Australia. The book delves into issues of trade and investment, exchange rates and macroeconomic policy, and preferential trade agreements and other forms of economic cooperation. The overall message is one of regional dynamism animated by concerted efforts to build a favorable institutional environment. China is a great motivating force in this dynamism and a key player in the development of regional agreements.




Asia Rising


Book Description

'This book provides a coherent and current account of how India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and the People's Republic of China coped with the Asian financial crisis of the 1990s and the recent global economic recession, and how they may address future challenges in maintaining growth in difficult times. It features a valuable overview of issues from a regional perspective, five chapters on general elements and obstacles in development, and individual chapters on the experience of each of the six countries. Every chapter is replete with relevant institutional and statistical data. The volume fills a void in the literature and is highly recommended for graduate students and for economists concerned with contemporary Asia.' – Peter Drake, The University of New England and Australian Catholic University, Australia 'To understand what makes Asia tick in the face of continuing global uncertainty and instability one has to go beyond numbers into the region's psyche and idiosyncrasies. This volume provides an interestingly intrusive and refreshingly insightful analysis of a highly complex phenomenon that defies generalizations as shown by the diversity of individual country experiences.' – Mohamed Ariff, International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), Malaysia The center of global economic activity is shifting rapidly towards Asia, driven by a combination of the economic dynamism of the People's Republic of China, India, and other middle-income Asian countries, and sluggish growth in the OECD economies. The rapid growth and rising global prominence have raised a range of major challenges for Asia and for the rest of the world. This comprehensive, forward-looking book examines these issues through in-depth studies of major Asian economies and an analysis of the key development policy options. The contributors, leading international authorities in their field, explore cross-cutting thematic issues with special reference to developing Asia. They address a broad range of subjects including: investment and productivity, savings and the savings–investment relationship, financial development, the provision of infrastructure, and governance and institutions. Detailed country studies focusing on the People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand not only provide an analytical narrative for each case study, but also draw attention to the similarities and diversity within the region. This challenging and thought-provoking book will prove an important point of reference for scholars, researchers, and students in the fields of economics, development economics, and Asian studies.




The Asian Financial Crisis


Book Description

The turmoil that has rocked Asian markets since the middle of 1997, and that is now having such deep effects on the economies in the region, is the third major currency crisis of the 1990s. This study explains how the Asian crisis arose and spread. It then outlines the corrective policy measures that could help end the crisis, and the shortcomings that have been revealed in the international financial system that require reform to reduce the chances of a recurrence.




The Politics of the Asian Economic Crisis


Book Description

In the summer of 1997, a tidal wave of economic problems swept across Asia. Currencies plummeted, banks failed, GNP stagnated, unemployment soared, and exports stalled. In short, the vaunted "Asian Economic Miracle" became the "Asian Economic Crisis"—with serious repercussions for nations and markets around the world. While the headlines are still fresh, a group of experts on the region presents the first account to focus on the political causes and implications of the crisis. The events of 1997–98 involved not just property values, financial flows, portfolio makeup, and debt ratios, they argue, but also the power relationships that shaped those economic indicators.As they examine the domestic, regional, and international politics that underlay the economic collapse, the authors analyze the reasons why the crisis affected the nations of Asia in radically different ways. The authors also consider whether the crisis indicates a radical change in Asia's economic future.