The Pros And Cons Of Full Dollarization

Analyzes the costs and benefits of full dollarization, or the adoption by one country of another country’s currency. Potential advantages include lower borrowing costs and deeper integration into world markets. But countries lose the ability to devalue, and become dependent on the U.S. Compares with currency board option.

There is an old joke that says that the exam questions in economics remain the same every year-only the answers change. Certainly, the debate about the best exchange rate regime has been with us forever, but new answers keep appearing. The newest answer to the question of what exchange rate regime countries should choose is none. That is, countries should forgo using their own currency entirely and adopt as legal tender a stable foreign currency, most commonly the U.S. dollar. Then-president Carlos Menem of Argentina suggested last year that Argentina should adopt the U.S. dollar-that is, dollarize-as the ultimate solution to its long history of difficulties with monetary and exchange rate policy. More recently, Ecuador has announced its intention to adopt the dollar, in the context of a deep economic and political crisis. Prominent economists have begun to argue that essentially all developing countries should also dollarize (see Calvo and Reinhart, 1999). Not only developing countries, however, are considering dollarization. Partly prompted by the example of the adoption of the euro this year, some have suggested that Canada should adopt the U.S. dollar as well.

Analyzes the costs and benefits of full dollarization, or the adoption by one country of another country's currency. Potential advantages include lower borrowing costs and deeper integration into world markets. But countries lose the ability to devalue, and become dependent on the U.S. Compares with currency board option.

This book takes a global approach, with an emphasis on North and Latin America respectfully, by discussing one of today's most controversial topics in business; Dollarization. With the collapse of the former Soviet Union, and the formation of the Euro in Europe, many countries and debating whether or not a common currency is in their best interest. This intriguing volume brings together the leading participants in the current dollarization debates. Many advocate the notion of a common currency, while others feel that in doing so will create financial costs for all that take part, with the severity varying from country to country.

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject Economics - Finance, grade: 90, course: International Trade Seminar, language: English, abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore dollarization, specifically the type that involves the adoption of the U.S. Dollar as official currency by foreign nations. An overview of the definition of dollarization will be given along with an analysis of the motivation to dollarize and one economist's process of dollarization. Cases of countries that have officially dollarized to the U.S. Dollar will be identified and explored in detail. The pros and cons to these foreign countries will also be summarized and directions for future research will be given. Dollarization is not a recent occurrence in the international community, but with the official adoption of the U.S. Dollar by several countries over the last decade, it has gained significant attention. Governments, international organizations such as the U.N., the World Bank, The International Monetary Fund, as well as economists and other scientists have all over the past ten years been paying far more attention than previously to dollarization. First, a complete definition and brief history of dollarization will be presented followed by the motivating factors behind a nation's decision to dollarize. One economist's process for dollarization is also presented. Next, some Pros and Cons are summarized followed by an overview of the example nations that have dollarized will be given followed by the beginning of my focus on Latin America as a region apparently prone to dollarization and why. The balance of the paper will be devoted to two case studies presenting in depth information about two Latin American countries that have officially adopted the U.S. Dollar, El Salvador, and Ecuador. Finally, directions for future research are presented.

This paper provides a summary of the key policies that encourage dedollarization. It focuses on cases in which the authorities’ intention is to gain greater control of monetary policy and draws on the experiences of countries that have successfully dedollarized. Unlike previous work on the subject, this paper examines both macroeconomic stabilization policies and microeconomic measures, such as prudential regulation of the financial system. This study is also the first attempt to make extensive use of the foreign exchange regulation data reported in the IMF’s Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions. The main conclusion is that durable dedollarization depends on a credible disinflation plan and specific microeconomic measures.

This paper identifies key aspects that countries willing to officially dollarize must necessarily address. Based on country experiences, it discusses the critical institutional bases that are necessary to unilaterally introduce a new legal tender, describes the relevant operational issues to smooth the transition toward the use of the new currency, and identifies key structural reforms that are necessary to favor the sustainability over time of this monetary regime. The paper is aimed at providing preliminary guidance to policy makers and practitioners adopting official dollarization. The paper does not take a position on how appropriate this monetary arrangement is. Experiences from adopting dollarization in Ecuador, El Salvador, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Timor-Leste are illustrated briefly.

The international array of contributors have managed quite a feat - an interesting book that expertly draws comparisons between dollarization and Euroland. This study is a must for anyone interesting in the world of international finance.