1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910797423603321

Autore

Steinberg David <1980->

Titolo

Demanding devaluation : exchange rate politics in the developing world / / David A. Steinberg

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Ithaca, New York ; ; London, [England] : , : Cornell University Press, , 2015

©2015

ISBN

0-8014-5425-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (288 p.)

Collana

Cornell Studies in Money

Disciplina

332.4/56

Soggetti

Foreign exchange rates - China - Political aspects

Foreign exchange rates - Developing countries - Political aspects

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Acknowledgments -- List of Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1. A Conditional Preference Theory of Undervalued Exchange Rates -- 2. Cross-Country Patterns in Exchange Rate Policy and Preferences -- 3. Why China Undervalues Its Exchange Rate -- 4. The Political Appeal of Overvaluation -- 5. Interests, Institutions, and Exchange Rates in South Korea, Mexico, and Iran -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Author Interviews -- References -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Exchange rate policy has profound consequences for economic development, financial crises, and international political conflict. Some governments in the developing world maintain excessively weak and "undervalued" exchange rates, a policy that promotes export-led development but often heightens tensions with foreign governments. Many other developing countries "overvalue" their exchange rates, which increases consumers' purchasing power but often reduces economic growth. In Demanding Devaluation, David Steinberg argues that the demands of powerful interest groups often dictate government decisions about the level of the exchange rate. Combining rich qualitative case studies of China, Argentina, South Korea, Mexico, and Iran with cross-national statistical analyses, Steinberg reveals that exchange rate policy is heavily influenced by a country's domestic



political arrangements. Interest group demands influence exchange rate policy, and national institutional structures shape whether interest groups lobby for an undervalued or an overvalued rate. A country's domestic political system helps determine whether it undervalues its exchange rate and experiences explosive economic growth or if it overvalues its exchange rate and sees its economy stagnate as a result.