Transcript
Developing Countries: Growth, Crisis, and Reform
Multiple Choice Questions
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would Pakistan and India fall under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Pakistan and India fall between lower-middle and upper-middle
Answer: A
While many developing countries have reformed their economies in order to imitate the success of the successful industrial economies, the process remains incomplete and most developing countries tend to be characterized by all of the following except:
Seigniorage
Control of capital movements by limiting foreign exchange transactions connected with trade in assets.
Use of natural resources or agricultural commodities as an important share of exports.
A worse job of directing savings toward their most efficient investment uses.
Reduced corruption and poverty due to limited underground markets.
Answer: E
Average per-capita GNP in the richest, most prosperous economies is ___ times that of the average in the ____ economies.
95 and low (poorest) income
95 and lower-middle income
73 and lower-middle income
55 and low (poorest) income
63 and low (poorest) income
Answer: E
Compared with industrialized economies, most developing countries are poor in the factors of production essential to modern industry: These factors are
capital and skilled labor
capital and unskilled labor
fertile land and unskilled labor
fertile land and skilled labor
water and capital
Answer: A
The main factors that discourage investment in capital and skills in developing countries are:
political instability, insecure property rights
political instability, insecure property rights, misguided economic policies
political instability, misguided economic policies
political instability
insecure property rights, misguided economic policies
Answer: B
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would sub-Saharan Africa fall under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Sub-Saharan Africa falls between lower-middle and upper-middle
Answer: A
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would mainland China fall under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Answer: B
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would the smaller Latin American and Caribbean countries fall under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Smaller Latin American and Caribbean countries fall between low income and lower middle income
Answer: D
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would the Saudi Arabia falls under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Saudi Arabia falls between low income and lower middle income economies
Answer: B
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would the Turkey falls under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Turkey falls between low income and lower middle income economies
Answer: B
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would the Poland, Hungary, and the Czech and Slovak Republics fall under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Poland, Hungary, and the Czech and Slovak Republics fall between low income and lower middle income economies
Answer: B
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would Malaysia falls under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Malaysia falls between low income and lower middle income economies
Answer: B
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would Israel falls under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Israel falls between low income and lower middle income economies
Answer: C
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would Kuwait falls under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Kuwait falls between low income and lower middle income economies
Answer: C
The world’s economies can be divided into four main categories according to their annual per-capita income levels: low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle- income and high-income economies. What category would Singapore falls under?
Low-income
Upper middle- income
High-income
Lower middle-income
Singapore falls between low income and lower middle income economies
Answer: C
The upper middle-income countries enjoy only about ____ of the per-capita GNP of the industrial group.
20 percent
15 percent
10 percent
5 percent
30 percent
Answer: A
In general, one expects that life expectancy reflect international differences in income levels. Do the data support such a claim?
Average life span falls as relative poverty increases
Average life span increases as relative poverty increases
There is no statistically significant relationship between the two
The relation is not very strong
The relationship looks more like a U-shape.
Answer: B
When one compares per-capital output growth rates among countries,
One needs to correct the data to account for departures from purchasing power parity
Such corrections are often not necessary
Such corrections are sometimes necessary
The evidence whether such corrections are necessary are vague
Such corrections are not necessary
Answer: A
Over the period 1960 – 1992, the United States economy grew at roughly
2 percent
3 percent
4 percent
one percent
3.5 percent
Answer: A
Over the period 1960 – 1992, Canada grew relative to the United States economy
more
less
the same
The Canadian economy grew by one percent
The Canadian economy grew by 2 percent
Answer: A
Over the post-war era, the tendency for gaps between industrial countries’ living standards
disappeared
stayed the same
increased
decreased
hard to tell from the data
Answer: A
Over the post-war era, the tendency for gaps between all countries’ living standards
disappeared
stayed the same
increased
decreased
hard to tell from the data
Answer: E
Over the post-war era, poorer countries grew
faster
slower
stayed the same
no general tendency can be found
Grew faster, then grew slower
Answer: D
Countries in Africa have grown at rates far _____ those of the main industrial countries.
below
above
the same
above at the beginning of the period and below at the end of the period
below at the beginning of the period and Above at the end of the period
Answer: A
Since 1960, Botswana in Southern Africa enjoyed an average per-capita growth rate well _____ the average African countries
above
below
the same
above at the beginning of the period and below at the end of the period
below at the beginning of the period and above at the end of the period
Answer: A
Since 1960, South Korea and Singapore enjoyed an average per-capita growth rate well _____ the average industrialized world
above
below
the same
above at the beginning of the period and below at the end of the period
below at the beginning of the period and above at the end of the period
Answer: A
Until recently, per-capita income increased in East Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan by ___ fold every generation
2
3
4
5
1
Answer: D
Since 1960, South Korea and Singapore enjoyed an average per-capita growth rate well _____ the average industrialized world
above
below
the same
above at the beginning of the period and below at the end of the period
below at the beginning of the period and above at the end of the period
Answer: A
Between 1960 and 1992, the annual growth rate in percent per year was the highest in
Canada
United States
Brazil
Honk Kong
South Korea
Answer: E
Seigniorage refers to
real resources a government earns when it prints money to use for spending on goods and services
nominal resources a government earns when it prints money to use for spending on goods and services
real resources a government earns when it prints money
nominal resources a government earns when it prints money
real resources a government earns when it issues bonds to use for spending on goods and services
Answer: A
In developing countries, exchange rates tend to be
floating with some government intervention
pegged
hard to tell from the data
run by currency boards
flexible
Answer: B
Most developing countries have tried to
liberalize capital movement
control capital movements
hard to tell from the data
in the 1960’s and 1970s control, now to liberalize
in the 1960’s and 1970s liberalize, now to control
Answer: B
For many developing countries, natural resources or agricultural commodities make up _____ share of exports
close to zero
not important
hard to tell
an important
close to 5 percent
Answer: D
In general, the development of underground economic activity ____ economic efficiency
hinders
has no effect
aides
hard to tell, sometime hinders, sometimes aides
None of the above.
Answer: A
One should expect ______ relationship between annual per-capita GDP and an inverse index of corruption
weak and negative
weak and positive
strong and negative
strong and positive
no relationship
Answer: D
According to Transparency International’s 2000 rankings, the cleanest (least corrupt) country in the world was
USA
France
Britain
Canada
Finland
Answer: E
According to Transparency International’s 2000 rankings, the most corrupt country in the world was
South Africa
Malaysia
Singapore
Nigeria
Argentina
Answer: D
In developing economies, national saving is often ___ relative to developed economies
high
the same
hard to tell
low
low for the very poor countries and high for the more developed
Answer: D
Industrial countries _____
A. have defaulted on their foreign obligations
B. have never defaulted on their external debts
C. rarely defaulted on their foreign obligations
D. defaulted on their foreign obligations only in the nineteen century
E. defaulted on their foreign obligations only in the twenties century
Answer: A
The word tablita refers to
A. Spanish food
B. devaluation in Chile
C. devaluation in Argentina
D. devaluation in Uruguay
E. crawling peg regime in the Southern Cone countries
Answer: E
The Convertibility Law of April 1991 in Argentina
pegged the Argentinean currency to the US dollar at a ratio of one to one.
pegged the Argentinean currency to the US dollar at a ratio of one to two.
pegged the Argentinean currency to the US dollar at a ratio of one to 0.5.
represents an era of floating exchange rate in Argentina
pegged the Argentinean currency to the British pound at a ratio of one to one
Answer: A
The $50 billion emergency loan orchestrated by the U.S. Treasury and the IMF to Mexico in 1994
was a disastrous policy for Mexico
avoided a disaster to the Mexican economy
did not affect Mexico in the short run
did not affect Mexico in the long run
was ineffective both in the short and long runs
Answer: B
43. Based on 1988 data, the trade share in Singapore is approximately
1
2
3
3.5
0.5
Answer: D
Based on 1988 data, the trade share in Hong Kong is approximately
1
2
3
3.5
0.5
Answer: C
Based on 1988 data, the trade share in Malaysia is approximately
1
2
3
3.5
0.5
Answer: A
46. Based on 1988 data, the trade share in Latin American countries is approximately
1
2
0.5
0.25
0.0
Answer: D
47. Brazil’s 1999 crisis was relatively short lived because
Brazil’s financial institutions had avoided borrowing all together
Brazil’s financial institutions had avoided heavy borrowing in local currency
Brazil’s financial institutions had avoided heavy borrowing in dollars
Brazil’s financial institutions had extended low-interest loans
Brazil’s financial institutions had extended high-interest loans
Answer: C
48. East Asia’s crisis was relatively long lived because
East Asia’s financial institutions had encouraged borrowing all together
East Asia’s financial institutions had encouraged heavy borrowing in local currency
East Asia’s financial institutions had extended low-interest loans
East Asia’s financial institutions had extended high-interest loans
East Asia’s financial institutions had encouraged heavy borrowing in dollars
Answer: E
Essay Questions
What explains the sharply divergent long-run growth patterns?
The answer lies in the economic and political features of developing countries and the way these have changed over time in response to both world events and internal pressures.
Describe some of the features hindering developing countries from growing faster.
Answer: pages 669-670
One of the features that can be hold developing countries from growing faster is corruption. The way governments control the economy by developing restrictions that would not allow international trade among other countries; knowing that by having the doors open for international trading the country can be better off. More over, governments also owning or controlling the largest industries, that produce more in the countries, and controlling international transactions, they do not led new opportunities to come into their society.
These governments also do tax evasion, which must of the time in some countries it’s been out of control. Basically, developing countries have been managed by corrupt and inexperience peoples that just want to disturbed instead of encouraging new opportunities for a better future.
What factors lie behind capital inflows to the developing world?
Answer: page 672
Many developing countries have received a lot of capital inflows that lead them to a huge debt to foreigners. These debts are been produced because the economy of the developing world is very small compared to the economy of the industrial world. Since developing countries face a lot of poverty and poor financial institutions, national savings is often low and because of that, they are always facing current account deficit. Even though, these countries are very poor in capital, there are opportunities for profitable introduction or expansion of firms and equipments, and these opportunities give good reason for a high level of investment. However, because these countries always have deficits in their current account, a country can obtain resources from abroad to invest even if its domestic savings level is low. This means that the country is going to have to borrow money from a foreign country. These ways of production are the one that lie behind capital inflows because by helping these countries to grow and expand, the price to be pay is a big debt which they know based on their circumstances its going to be hard to repaid.
Describe alternative forms of capital inflow to finance external deficits and explain why these methods were used in different times?
Answer: pages 675-676
The capital inflows that finance developing countries’ deficits are: Bond finance in which developing countries sell bonds to private foreign citizens to finance their deficits. At that time bond finance is a key to get money to solve the deficit of the country. Bank finance, which help developing countries to borrow widely from commercial banks. At that time banks provide more or less a quarter of developing country external finance. Official lending, this is use because developing countries sometimes borrow from official foreign agencies such as the World Bank or Inter American Development Bank. They like to take advantage of these banks because they to lend at interest rates below market level or on a market basis that allows the lender to earn the market rate of return. Direct foreign investment, which allows a foreign largest firm owned by foreigner’s residents, acquires or expands a subsidiary firm or factory domestically. Since WWII, direct investment has been a consistently important source of developing country’s capital.
Explain why the distinction between debt and equity finance is useful in analyzing the response of developing countries to unforeseen events such as recession or terms of trade change?
Answer: page 676. When a country’s liabilities are in the form of debt, its fixed scheduled payments to creditors do not fall when its real income falls. This makes it difficult to honor the developing country’s foreign obligations and may lead to default.
Explain why despite enormous natural resources, much of Latin America’s population remains in poverty and the region has been repeatedly experiencing financial crises.
Answer: pages 676 – 677
Most Latin America population remains in poverty because bad advise and inefficient proliferated about investment decisions having taken. At the same time, the revenues available to those able to exploit limited domestic markets inspired lobbying for imports licenses and expanding the market as well as corruption. Discrimination in the import that alternates financial system and poverty at the lowest income levels grew over time. Government corruption and bad administration of money have been one of the factors that enable Latin America population from growing. Sine in 1950s and 1960s many of the Latin America countries in the region were able to attain amazing growth rates by exploiting the initially high returns from moving resources in to industrial uses from inefficient agricultural activities. Instead of using the growth to get rid of debts and decrease the deficit of the country, governments along with corrupt people wasted for getting about the debt that the country was facing.
Explain why in exchange rate-based stabilization plan may result in a real appreciation?
Answer: page 679. Footnote 8 gives three reasons: first, persistent inflation due to say lagged wage indexation; second, lack of credibility of the policy; and third, productivity shifts due to inflation reduction or efficient reforms. See also Figure 22-3 for illustration in the case of Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Mexico. See also Chapter 15.
Write an essay on the importance of a sound banking system in developing countries.
Answer: see for example the vivid example of Chile in 1981-1982 experience described in pages 681. Students should explain the phenomena of moral hazard as a part of their answer. See also page 683: the debt crisis of the 1980s. See also the case of Mexico in page 687. See pages 687 – 688 and page 690 for the East Asia case.
Explain why Argentina, one of the world’s richest countries at the start of the twentieth century, has become progressively poorer relative to the industrial countries. [An alternative question: What explain Argentina’s regress from riches to rags?]
Answer: Case Study in pages 681-683. As usual, the answer is complex, but the country’s inward orientation and macroeconomic instability appear to be the major culprits.
Evaluate the economic policies of Juan Peron, the husband of the famous Evita?
Answer: pages 682-683.
As soon as Peron got the power in 1946, in Argentina, the economy that at that time was not so open to became even less open. Looking for the support of urban workers, Peron went beyond the policies of the 1930s in favoring import replacement over traditional agricultural exports such as wheat and bee. Its influence made it difficult for successive in Argentine governments to take apart trade barriers, reduce government involvement in industry, or impose control over public spending and inflation. Macroeconomic instability and low growth was the result. Only after the economy experienced true hyperinflation at the end of the 1980s was when a reform minded government able, starting in 1991, to remove long-standing barriers to economic growth. The economy has generally performed well since 1991, growing at an average annual rate of 6% and moving back into the ranks of upper middle-income developing countries.
The 1980s are considered as the “lost decade” of Latin American growth. Explain why?
Answer: page 683 and also students may get data from the IMF web site for extra credit.
Just as the Great Depression made it hard for developing countries to make payments on their foreign loans, the great recession of the 1980s also sparked a crisis over developing country debt. The fall in the industrial countries’ aggregate demand had a direct negative impact on the developing countries. The problem was make worse by the dollar’s sharp appreciation in the foreign exchange market, which raised the real value of the dollar debt burden substantially. The crisis began in August 1982 when Mexico announced that its central bank had run out of foreign reserves and that it could no longer meet payments on its $80 billion in foreign debt. Seeing potential similarities between Mexico and other large Latin American debtors such as Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, banks in the industrial countries, the largest private lenders to Latin America scrambled to reduce their risks by cutting off new credits and demanding repayment on earlier loans. The result was a widespread inability of developing countries to meet prior debt obligations, and a rapid move to the edge of a generalized default. Latin America was perhaps hardest hit, but so were soviet bloc countries like Poland that had borrowed from the European banks. Nonetheless, by the end of 1986 more than 40 countries had encountered severe financing problems. Growth had slowed sharply in much of the developing countries because they have to stop producing in order to pay the debtors.
Explain why East Asian countries have done so well relative to South American countries.
Answer: Page 684. Mainly, the reasons are: less moral hazard, less government debt to foreigners and smaller budget deficits in East Asian countries.
Evaluate the Argentinean Convertibility Law of April, 1991.
Answer: pages 684-685. Good idea in the short run, catastrophic idea in the long run. The law was abandoned only in January 2002.
Explain how Brazil was able to reduce the rate of inflation from 2,669 percent in 1994 to less than 10 percent in 1997?
Answer: By introducing a new currency and initially pegging it to the dollar. At the cost of widespread bank failures, high interest rates in 1995 and the shift to a fixed upwardly crawling peg and a substantial real appreciation of the local currency.
Some economists claim that the Chilean experience during the 1990s was much more successful than its Latin American neighbors. Evaluate the Chilean policies during that decade.
Answer: page 686. Students should refer to the democratic nature of the regime, and the fact that the policies specifically targeted corruption.
16. Based on this chapter and Chapter 10, explain the reasons for the economic “miracle” of the East Asian countries between 1960 and 1997. Is it only because of the common Asian practice of industrial policy and business-government cooperation?
Answer: pages 687 – 691. Students should emphasize high rates of savings and investment, rapidly improving educational levels among the work force, and a high degree of openness to and integration with world markets.
Based on the 1997 Crisis and your own experience, what are the main weaknesses of the East Asian economies?
Answer: pages 689 – 692. The textbook raised mainly three issues. The first weakness is little productivity increase, most of the growth due to capital and labor inputs increase, eventually leading to diminishing returns. The second weakness is the poor state of banking regulation in most of the Asian economies. The third reason is inadequate legal framework for dealing with companies in trouble.
Describe the Asian financial crisis as it unfolds beginning with the devaluation of the Thai currency in July 1997, followed by the Malaysian, Indonesian and South Korean crises. As part of your answer, elaborate on the Malaysian response to the crisis versus its troubled neighbors responses.
Answer: Pages 691-692. Students should emphasize the relation to the slowdown in their largest industrial neighbor, Japan, and the reliability on large debts denominated in dollars. Malaysia did not turn to the IMF with its austerity plans. Malaysia imposed extensive foreign exchange controls on capital movements.
Describe the crisis in Russia starting from 1989. Explain why?
Answer: pages 692 – 694. Students should emphasize lack of legal system, tax collection, corruption, organized crime, inflation, seigniorage financing, inability to reduce spending, reduction in oil prices, gold prices, world’s recession etc. high and unsustainable interest rates, and continued support from the IMF for fear of collapse of the regime, including a possible nuclear threat if Russia decided to sell off its arsenal.
20. Contrast the crisis in Poland and Russia. Explain why the Polish economy has done better?
Answer: page 693, including table 22-6.
By the end of the 1990s, a handful of East European economies including Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic had made successful transitions to the entrepreneur order. Not surprisingly each of these countries was geographically close to the European Union (EU) and had a recent tradition, of industrial capitalism, including a body of contract and property law. In regards to Russia, by 1990 the Russia’s government was unable to collect taxes or even to enforce basic laws; the country was riddled with corruption and organized crime. That is why the measured output got smaller progressively and the inflation was hard to control, so at the end of the 1990s most Russians were substantially worse off than under the old Soviet regime. As we can see, Poland’s economy started producing more money to growth and decrease inflation because they where having business with potential firms.
The main reason for the crisis in Argentina in 2001 and 2002, as to do with exchange rate policy, i.e., the continued peg of the exchange rate to the dollar. Discuss.
Answer: pages 694-695. Student should emphasize that the quote is mainly true. Students should compare Argentina in those years with the better experience of Chile and Mexico with flexible exchange rates and emphasize the appreciation of the dollar.
Based on the case study, answer the following question: Can currency boards make fixed exchange rates credible?
Answer: pages 695- 697.
No, because is prohibited by law from acquiring any domestic assets, so all the currency it issues automatically is fully backed by foreign reserves. Also countries that adopt currency board, do it because one of the mayor advantage aside from the constrain it places on fiscal policy, central bank can never run out of foreign exchange reserves in the face of a speculative attack on the exchange rate. So the currency board cannot fix exchange rates.
Based on the case study, answer the following question: Can currency boards make low-inflation policies credible?
Answer: pages 695- 697.
Currency boards have the power to bring in anti-inflation credibility from the country to which the domestic currency is hook. Currency boards typically may not acquire government debt, but it can discourage fiscal deficits leading to reduce a major cause of inflation and devaluation. In order for a currency board to be successful is by increasing the banking sector and that can get the government under pressure to abandon the currency board. Moreover if the markets anticipate that the government is leaving the currency boar, the country may not benefit from the potential of a currency board.
Compare currency board to conventional fixed exchange rate
Answer: pages 695-696. Currency board may not acquire domestic assets and thus cannot lend currency freely to domestic banks in time of financial crisis. Also, limit government ability to “surprise” the market and have real devaluation.
What do you think about dollarization?
Answer: This is an open question. The answer is probably a bad idea unless in the very short run. Students should talk about the loss of seigniorage and the gain in credibility against devaluation, which should lead to lower domestic interest rates. Students should mention the importance of political will to repair the fundamental economic weaknesses of the country.
What are the main lessons economists learned from the developing country crisis?
Answer: 1. Choosing the right exchange rate regime.
The central importance of sound banking system.
The proper sequence of reform measures.
The importance of contagion.
27. What is the theory of Second Best?
Answer: page 698 and Chapter 9. The principal of the second best tells us that when an economy suffers from multiple distortions, the removal of only a few may make matters worse, not better.
“Developing countries should delay opening the capital account until the domestic financial system is strong enough to withstand the sometimes violent ebb and flow of world capital.” Discuss.
Answer: page 698. Probably true. The issue is related to the theory of second best and the proper sequence of reform measures. Of course, students may argue against such step-by-step measures.
“Trade liberalization should precede capital account liberalization.” Discuss.
Answer: page 698. The answer is probably true. The issue is related to the theory of second best and the proper sequence of reform measures. Of course, students may argue against such step- by-step measures.
What is the domino effect or contagion?
Answer: page 698. The definition is the vulnerability of even seemingly healthy economies to crisis of confidence generated by events elsewhere in the world. Students should provide examples like the Thai crisis, which provoked another crisis in South Korea, a much larger economy some 7,000 miles away. Or the Russian crisis sparking massive speculation against the Brazil’s real.
31. Explain the basic macroeconomic policy trilemma for open economies.
Answer: pages 699-701 and Chapter 21. Of three goals most countries share – independence in monetary policy, stability in the exchange rate, and the free movement of capital – only two can be reached simultaneously.
Discuss the role of more “transparency” in reducing the risk of financial crisis.
Answer: page 701. Students should discuss the Asian crisis where foreign banks lent money to Asian enterprises without any clear idea of what the risks were, and then pulled their money out equally blindly when it became clear those risks were larger than they anticipated.
Should the IMF be abolished? Discuss.
Answer: An open answer. Arguments for abolishing the IMF should mention moral hazard, insistence on high interest rates, hasty structural reforms, etc. Arguments against abolishing will stress more coordination, more credit lines, transparency, etc.
What do you think about international “Chapter 11”?
Answer: A formal procedure whereby a country can seek international legal authorization to temporarily stop paying its debt and then negotiate a settlement that gives it more time to repay, or in extreme cases, actually writes off part of its obligations. The answer is that such an idea is probably a good idea, but again more moral hazard.
Compare the macroeconomic performances in the 1990s of the following countries under the following exchange-rate regimes: floating exchange rates, Mexico and Brazil; capital control, China and Malaysia; and currency boards, Estonia and Hong Kong; dollarization, Argentina.
Answer: An open question. Students should use the IMF web site to discuss the issue, and to obtain data.
Numerical Questions
Explain the following simple algebra of moral hazard. Suppose a real estate deal, which requires 100 million as investment today will yield 120 million with probability of 10 percent and will lose 20 million with probability of 90 percent. Suppose that the interest rate is 5 percent per annum.
A. Without government intervention, would anyone invest in this deal?
B. Suppose that now the deal is backed by full government guarantee. What will be the outcome? Does your answer depend on the attitude of the investor toward risk?
C. Suppose that now government guarantying only 80 percent of the initial investment. What will be the outcome? Does your answer depend on the attitude of the investor toward risk?
Answer:
Answer to question 1A, B, C.
Q#1A
No, because the expected return is less than the 100 million, which is the amount the investor has to come upfront. Based on the probability of losing so much, the investment would not take place.
Q#1B
If the government gets involve guaranteeing that he will protect the lenders or investors, yes people will invest in this type of deals. Yes, the answer depends on the attitude of the investor towards risk. When people know that someone is taking responsibility for the risk, it makes things easier.
Q#1C
The investors would not play the game if they know in advance that they will lose about 20 million, even though the government guarantees 80% of the initial investment. The deal would not take place.
2. A. Based on the Table in the case study in page 682, calculate the annual growth rate for each country for each period.
B. Repeat A but now do it for any other time period.
C. Repeat A but now calculates the rate of growth from 1900 to 1987.
The following table may be useful for you in order to summarize your results.
Country
1900
1913
1929
1950
1973
1987
Argentina
1284
1770
2036
2324
3713
3302
Q:A
Q:B
Q:C
Australia
2923
3390
3146
4389
7696
9533
Q:A
Q:B
Q:C
Canada
1808
2773
3286
4822
9350
12702
Q:A
Q:B
Q:C
OECD
1817
2224
2727
3553
7852
10205
Q:A
Q:B
Q:C
Answer: Student should use the formula A(1+R)n = B, where for example, A is Argentina’s output per capita in 1900 (=1,284), n is the number of years between, say 1900 and 1913 (n=13), and B is the Argentinean output in 1913.
Country
1900
1913
1929
1950
1973
1987
Argentina
1284
1770
2036
2324
3713
3302
Q:A
2.50%
0.88%
0.63%
2.06%
-0.83%
Q:B
1.19%
0.95%
Q:C
1.09%
Australia
2923
3390
3146
4389
7696
9533
Q:A
1.15%
-0.47%
1.60%
2.47%
1.54%
Q:B
0.82%
Q:C
1.37%
Canada
1808
2773
3286
4822
9350
12702
Q:A
3.34%
1.07%
1.84%
2.92%
2.21%
Q:B
1.98%
Q:C
2.27%
OECD
1817
2224
2727
3553
7852
10205
Q:A
1.57%
1.28%
1.27%
3.51%
1.89%
Q:B
1.35%
Q:C
2.00%
3. (Incorrectly) assume that the average annual growth rate between 1960 and 1992 were the same for each year within the period. Add two columns to Table 22-2, one for the year 1970 and one for the year 1980. Using EXCEL, plot your results in one figure, where each country has a different color.
Answer:
Country
1960
1970
1980
1992
Annual Growth Rate
Canada
7,240
9,359
12,097
16,461
2.6
United States
9,908
11,960
14,437
18,095
1.9
Ghana
886
904
922
944
0.2
Kenya
646
721
804
917
1.1
Nigeria
560
669
800
991
1.8
Senegal
1,062
1,094
1,128
1,169
0.3
Argentina
4,481
4,571
4,664
4,777
0.2
Brazil
1,780
2,279
2,917
3,923
2.5
Chile
2,897
3,395
3,979
4,814
1.6
Mexico
2,825
3,616
4,629
6,226
2.5
Hong Kong
2,231
4,149
7,715
16,242
6.4
Malaysia
1,409
2,188
3,398
5,763
4.5
Singapore
1,626
3,081
5,838
12,570
6.6
South Korea
898
1,750
3,411
7,596
6.9
Thailand
940
1,474
2,311
3,964
4.6
Taiwan
1,255
2,334
4,340
9,136
6.4
See figure
4. (Incorrectly) assume that the average annual growth rate between 1960 and 1992 continues until 2002. Add two columns to Table 22-2, one for the year 1997 and one for the year 2002. Using EXCEL, plot your results in one figure, where each country has a different color. Find which country, if any, will be the first one to overpass the US per capita income.
Answer:
Country
1960
1992
1997
2002
Annual Growth Rate
Canada
7,240
16,461
18,715
21,278
2.6
United States
9,908
18,095
19,881
21,842
1.9
Ghana
886
944
954
964
0.2
Kenya
646
917
968
1,023
1.1
Nigeria
560
991
1,084
1,185
1.8
Senegal
1,062
1,169
1,186
1,204
0.3
Argentina
4,481
4,777
4,825
4,873
0.2
Brazil
1,780
3,923
4,438
5,021
2.5
Chile
2,897
4,814
5,212
5,643
1.6
Mexico
2,825
6,226
7,044
7,969
2.5
Hong Kong
2,231
16,242
22,148
30,203
6.4
Malaysia
1,409
5,763
7,181
8,949
4.5
Singapore
1,626
12,570
17,304
23,819
6.6
South Korea
898
7,596
10,604
14,803
6.9
Thailand
940
3,964
4,964
6,215
4.6
Taiwan
1,255
9,136
12,459
16,990
6.4
5. (Incorrectly) assume that the average annual growth rate between 1960 and 1992 were the same for each year until the end of the third millennium. Add columns to Table 22-2, one for each decade, starting from 1970, 1980, etc. until the year 3000. Using EXCEL, plot your results in one figure, where each country has a different color. Find which country will be the first one to overpass the US per capita income.
Answer:
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Country
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
Canada
7,240
9,359
12,097
15,637
20,213
26,128
33,774
43,657
United States
9,908
11,960
14,437
17,427
21,036
25,392
30,650
36,998
Ghana
886
904
922
941
960
979
999
1,019
Kenya
646
721
804
897
1,001
1,116
1,245
1,389
Nigeria
560
669
800
956
1,143
1,366
1,633
1,952
Senegal
1,062
1,094
1,128
1,162
1,197
1,234
1,271
1,310
Argentina
4,481
4,571
4,664
4,758
4,854
4,952
5,052
5,154
Brazil
1,780
2,279
2,917
3,734
4,779
6,118
7,832
10,025
Chile
2,897
3,395
3,979
4,664
5,466
6,407
7,509
8,801
Mexico
2,825
3,616
4,629
5,926
7,585
9,710
12,429
15,911
Hong Kong
2,231
4,149
7,715
14,347
26,679
49,611
92,257
171,559
Malaysia
1,409
2,188
3,398
5,277
8,195
12,727
19,765
30,694
Singapore
1,626
3,081
5,838
11,062
20,961
39,717
75,258
142,602
South Korea
898
1,750
3,411
6,647
12,953
25,244
49,197
95,877
Thailand
940
1,474
2,311
3,623
5,681
8,907
13,965
21,895
Taiwan
1,255
2,334
4,340
8,070
15,008
27,908
51,897
96,507
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
Country
2040
2050
2060
2070
2080
2090
3000
Annual Growth Rate
Canada
56432.26
72945.93
94291.96
121884.4
157551.3
203655.2
263250.4
2.6
United States
44660.21
53909.16
65073.53
78550.01
94817.41
114453.7
138156.6
1.9
Ghana
1039.565
1060.544
1081.947
1103.781
1126.057
1148.782
1171.965
0.2
Kenya
1549.976
1729.165
1929.07
2152.086
2400.884
2678.445
2988.094
1.1
Nigeria
2333.513
2789.254
3334.002
3985.14
4763.448
5693.76
6805.765
1.8
Senegal
1349.582
1390.62
1432.906
1476.479
1521.376
1567.638
1615.307
0.3
Argentina
5257.662
5363.767
5472.013
5582.443
5695.102
5810.035
5927.287
0.2
Brazil
12833.03
16427.36
21028.42
26918.15
34457.51
44108.52
56462.64
2.5
Chile
10314.43
12088.77
14168.35
16605.67
19462.27
22810.28
26734.23
1.6
Mexico
20367.03
26071.52
33373.75
42721.22
54686.77
70003.69
89610.65
2.5
Hong Kong
319028.7
593261.4
1103221
2051534
3815003
7094327
13192512
6.4
Malaysia
47666.61
74024.78
114958.2
178526.6
277246.4
430555.1
668638.9
4.5
Singapore
270207.2
511998.8
970154.7
1838286
3483254
6600201
12506310
6.6
South Korea
186849.8
364141.2
709654.3
1383006
2695262
5252645
10236584
6.9
Thailand
34329.12
53824.43
84391.03
132316.2
207457.9
325272.1
509992.4
4.6
Taiwan
179462.6
333726.2
620592.5
1154045
2146046
3990758
7421157
6.4