Capital Management Techniques In Developing Countries: An Assessment Of Experiences From The 1990s And Lessons From The Future

Authors:
  • GEGerald Epstein
    Gerald Epstein
  • IGIlene Grabel
    Ilene Grabel
  • JKJomo K.S.
    Jomo K.S.

  • 1 January 2004
Abstract
This paper uses the term, capital management techniques, to refer to two complementary (and often overlapping) types of financial policies: policies that govern international private capital flows and those that enforce prudential management of domestic financial institutions. The paper shows that regimes of capital management take diverse forms and are multi-faceted. The paper also shows that capital management techniques can be static or dynamic. Static management techniques are those that authorities do not modify in response to changes in circumstances. Capital management techniques can also be dynamic, meaning that they can be activated or adjusted as circumstances warrant. Three types of circumstances trigger implementation of management techniques or lead authorities to strengthen or adjust existing regulations: changes in the economic environment, the identification of vulnerabilities, and the attempt to close loopholes in existing measures. The paper presents seven case studies of the diverse capital management techniques employed in Chile, China, Colombia, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan Province of China during the 1990s. The cases reveal that policymakers were able to use capital management techniques to achieve critical macroeconomic objectives. These included the prevention of maturity and locational mismatch; attraction of favoured forms of foreign investment; reduction in overall financial fragility, currency risk, and speculative pressures in the economy; insulation from the contagion effects of financial crises; and enhancement of the autonomy of economic and social policy. The paper examines the structural factors that contributed to these achievements, and also weighs the costs associated with these measures against their macroeconomic benefits. The paper concludes by considering the general policy lessons of these seven experiences. The most important of these lessons are as follows. (1) Capital management techniques can enhance overall fi
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