Narrow Your Choices

Refine By Topic

Refine By Series

Refine By Language

Refine By Date

—

Refine By IMF Taxonomy

Refine By JEL Taxonomy

Refine by LOC Taxonomy

Refine By THEMA Taxonomy

  • Print
  • Save

Africa > Malawi

You are looking at 1 - 3 of 3 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Commodity Markets x
Clear All Modify Search
Cover IMF Working Papers
On the First-Round Effects of International Food Price Shocks: the Role of the Asset Market Structure
Mr. Rafael A Portillo
and
Luis-Felipe Zanna
We develop a tractable small open-economy model to study the first-round effects of international food price shocks in developing countries. We define first-round effects as changes in headline inflation that, holding core inflation constant, help implement relative price adjustments. The model features three goods (food, a generic traded good and a non-traded good), varying degrees of tradability of the food basket, and alternative international asset market structures (complete and incomplete markets, and financial autarky). First-round effects depend crucially on the asset market structure and the different transmission mechanisms they trigger. Under complete markets, inter-temporal substitution prevails, making the inflationary impact of international food prices proportional to the food share in consumption, which in developing economies is typically large. Under financial autarky, the income channel is dominant, and first-round effects are instead proportional to the country's food balance—the difference between the country's food endowment and its consumption—which in developing countries is typically small. The latter result holds regardless of the degree of food tradability. Incomplete markets yield a combination of the two extremes. Our results cast some doubt on the view that international food price shocks are inherently inflationary in developing countries.
Keywords:
WP; core inflation; Food Price Shocks; First-Round Effects; Developing Countries; New-Keynesian Models; Asset Market Structure; IM solution; nominal exchange rate; headline inflation; solution nest; inflation dynamics; market clearing condition; nominal price; Inflation; Consumption; Food prices; Securities markets; Commodity price shocks; Sub-Saharan Africa
Cover IMF Survey
IMF Survey, Volume 37, Issue 12
International Monetary Fund. External Relations Dept.
Global financial crisis, Iceland, Poul Thomsen, IMF work program, IMF Shocks Facility, Kyrgyz Republic; Malawi; Exogenous Shocks Facility, Pakistan loan, IMF and social safety nets, gains against poverty in jeopardy, commodity prices slump, Latin America withstands shocks, Improved policies help Latin America, Asian Regional Outlook, Bosnia and Herzegovina, news briefs.
Keywords:
SV; print edition; IMF Survey; price; support bank recapitalization; IMF statement; oil demand World oil consumption; Social assistance spending; Commodity prices; Fuel prices; Oil consumption; Global; Asia and Pacific; Africa; Europe; Central Asia
Cover IMF Working Papers
Economics, Politics, and Ethics of Primary Commodity Development: How Can Poor Countries in Africa Benefit the Most?
Uma J. Lele
,
Mr. James Jerome Gockowski
, and
Kofi Adu-Nyako
The critical role of agricultural commodities in the growth of low-income countries is examined. A combination of factors has resulted in declining agricultural prices, necessitating further increasing volumes by developing countries to maintain export earnings. But low growth in factor productivity in Africa compared to competitors caused declining export shares in African countries. A broad-based smallholder strategy based on producing commodities in which a country enjoys comparative advantage needs to be supported by productivity enhancing innovations in food and export commodities, a stable price environment, availability of infrastructure and access to credit. Such an environment requires partnership between government and private agents.
Keywords:
WP; maize price ratio; productivity gain; private sector; balance of payments; commodity price; price stabilization policy; export commodity; terms of trade; price variability result; price variability; commodity producer; public goods; variability result; commodity option; price distortion; Agricultural commodities; Agricultural sector; Agricultural exports; Exports; Africa; Asia and Pacific