The Argentine Currency Board

1999

President Carlos Menem of Argentina has advocated replacing the Argentine peso with the dollar. Dollarization would benefit Argentina because it would eliminate the peso-dollar exchange-rate risk, lower interest rates, and stimulate economic growth.

The World Economy, 1994

2001

The aim of this work is to present in a systematic way elements around the debate on the persistence of a central bank arrangement, currency boards or the Dollarization option. In some special circumstances, both later arrangements could be desirable. They are not a universal panacea in the way to stabilization and sound growth. The case of Argentina in recent decades is analyzed. There, the currency board could be an intermediate step to full Dollarization. Comparing to advanced economies, Latin American inflation in Post World War II to date, was 100 times more volatile, and GDP growth twice more volatile, with more frequent and extreme recessions. A great deal of that volatility was caused by unstable policies. Changes in money

2002

After more than ten years under a Currency Board regime, successful in abating inflation and ensuring macroeconomic and financial stability, in January 2002, the country was forced to abandon the " Convertibilidad" and moved to a floating exchange regime. Is this twin crisis different from those experienced by Argentina in 1995 or earlier in the 1980's? A remarkable difference from past experiences was the apparent strength of the Argentine Financial System, as a consequence of deliberate and systematic process of reforms that put its regulatory framework close to those of developed countries. However, the crisis revealed two sources of financial fragility ´probably underestimated during the good times. First, the combination of a currency board regime and highly dollarized banks' balance sheets implied a solvency risk for the financial system in case the economy had to adjust to a shock either trough a nominal devaluation or a deflationary process. The other hidden risk for the financial system was the non regulated exposure of banks to sovereign risk.

World Economy, 1998

2002

After more than ten years under a Currency Board regime, successful in abating inflation and ensuring macroeconomic and financial stability, in January 2002, the country was forced to abandon the “Convertibilidad” and moved to a floating exchange regime. Is this twin crisis different from those experienced by Argentina in 1995 or earlier in the 1980’s? A remarkable difference from past experiences was the apparent strength of the Argentine Financial System, as a consequence of deliberate and systematic process of reforms that put its regulatory framework close to those of developed countries. However, the crisis revealed two sources of financial fragility ́probably underestimated during the good times. First, the combination of a currency board regime and highly dollarized banks’ balance sheets implied a solvency risk for the financial system in case the economy had to adjust to a shock either trough a nominal devaluation or a deflationary process. The other hidden risk for the fina...

Revista de Economia Política, 2015

The purpose of this article is twofold. The first is to explain the time inconsistencies of the convertibility regime that led to the 2001 crisis. The argument suggests that the credibility requirements for convertibility induced a dynamic of legal, fiscal, financial and external commitments that increased exit costs and time inconsistencies. The second objective is to explain the tensions of the floating regime that replaced convertibility in 2002. We describe the effects of a floating exchange rate on macroeconomic imbalance and the growing tension between competitiveness and inflation.

The purpose of this article is twofold. The first is to explain the time inconsistencies of the convertibility regime that led to the 2001 crisis. The argument suggests that the credibility requirements for convertibility induced a dynamic of legal, fiscal, financial and external commitments that increased exit costs and time inconsistencies. The second objective is to explain the tensions of the floating regime that replaced convertibility in 2002. We describe the effects of a floating exchange rate on macroeconomic imbalance and the growing tension between competitiveness and inflation.

2004

Currency board (CB) was a corner solution for Argentine hyperinflation, however its balance is controversial. How does a CB work as a long run regime? After evaluating the result of ten years CB regime, we obtain important lessons for a monetary union and for dollarization proposals. We discuss: 1) the capacity of such a regime to deal with real and nominal volatility, 2) fiscal problems and debt dynamics, 3) financial problems under currency substitution, 4) CB regime compared with dollarization and 5) the feasibility of a single–peg CB in a flexible exchange rate world.

Journal of Applied Economics, 2013

The authors would like to thank Jorge M. Streb (Co-editor) and an anonymous referee from the Jae for their valuable comments.