The Federal Reserve Board eagle logo links to Board's home page

International Finance Discussion Papers
The International Finance Discussion Papers logo links to the International Finance Discussion Papers home page Emerging Market Business Cycles with Remittance Fluctuations
Ceyhun Bora Durdu and Serdar Sayan
2008-946  (September 2008)

Abstract:  This paper analyzes the implications of remittance fluctuations for various macroeconomic variables and Sudden Stops. The paper employs a quantitative two-sector model of a small open economy with financial frictions calibrated to Mexican and Turkish economies, two major recipients, whose remittance receipts feature opposite cyclical characteristics. We find that remittances dampen the business cycles in Mexico, whereas they amplify the cycles in Turkey. Their quantitative effects in the long run, approximated by the stochastic steady state are mild. In the short run, however, remittances have quantitatively large impacts on the economy, when the economy is borrowing constrained. This is because agents in the economy cannot adjust their precautionary wealth to sudden tightening in credit, hence, fluctuations in remittances get magnified through an endogenous debt-deflation mechanism. Our findings suggest that procyclical (or countercyclical) remittances can play a significant deepening (or mitigating) role for Sudden Stops.

Full paper(320 KB PDF) | Full paper (screen reader version)

Keywords
Business cycles, remittances, sudden stops

PDF files: Adobe Acrobat Reader   ZIP files: PKWARE


Home | IFDPs | List of 2008 IFDPs
Accessibility | Contact Us
Last update: September 26, 2008