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A StylizedModel of the
Devaluation-Inflation
Spiral
CARLOS A. RODRIGUEZ *
oftheresulting
balanceofpayEVALUATIONS,orthemonetization
mentssurpluses,arefrequently
mentioned
as contributing
factors
to an inflationary
process.Aside fromthe directinitialinflationary
effectowingto therisein thepricesof tradedgoods(and therepercussionon thepricesofnontraded
usuallycongoods),a devaluation
tributesto a (transitory)
balanceof paymentssurplus,1 the monetizationofwhich,itmaybe claimed,further
contributes
tothesustenance
or acceleration
oftheinflationary
process.
It isthuspossibletounderstand
thereluctance
todevalueincountries
that,havingachieveda stabledomesticpricelevel,face a persistent
balance of paymentsdeficit.Alternative
correctivemeasuresrange
fromreducing
thedegreeofmonetization
toobtaining
ofthefiscaldeficit
externalloans thatmay help to postponethe requiredinflationary
adjustment.
to thepermanent,
Ratherthanresorting
butpolitically
costly,fiscal
have chosenthewayofperiodicdevaluacorrection,
manycountries
ofeach beingmarkedbythatpointat whichdomestic
tions,thetiming
reservesare "dangerously
pricesare "welloutofline"orinternational
low." The outcomeof sucha processis a devaluation-inflation
spiral
withno clearrelation
ofcausality,although
theexternalsectoris often
blamedfortheinflationary
outcome.
In thispaper,theauthorhas constructed
a simplemodelin which
toanalyzesomeofthebasicelements
ofthedevaluation-inflation
spiral.
In thecontextof themodeldevelopedhere,themainfuelbehindthe
ofthefiscaldeficit
and devaluation,
and the
spiralis themonetization
76
STYLIZED
MODEL OF DEVALUATION-INFLATION
SPIRAL
77
is theonlyalternative
subsequentinflation
open giventhefiscalconstraint.In theabsenceofa steadyflowofforeign
aid thatmatchesthe
fiscaldeficit,
themodelgeneratesa devaluation-inflation
cycle,devaluationtakingplace at thatpointwhereinternational
reservesreacha
minimum
acceptablelevel even thoughthe pricelevel maythenbe
stable.Withthepossibility
of thedevaluationtakingplace whenthe
ofblaming
the
stabilized,thereis thetemptation
pricelevelhas finally
on thedevaluation,
inflation
and attention
resulting
maybe diverted
whichis thefiscal
awayfromthemorebasicunderlying
disequilibrium,
deficit.
SectionI of thispaperdescribesthe basic structure
of the model
in theab(a variantof Salter's(1959)traded-nontraded
model)
goods
sence of a fiscaldeficit;SectionII incorporates
thefiscaldeficitand
describesthe devaluation-inflation
spiral;SectionIII bringsa brief
discussionof flexibleexchangerates; and SectionIV presentsthe
conclusions.
QT = QT (e)
QH = QH (e)
(1)
Oe
QH
Oe
(1')
INTERNATIONAL
78
The author has abstained fromthe dynamic considerationsof investmentand capital accumulation and has assumed that domestic
money,M, is the only store of value available to domesticresidents.
Demand fortradedand home goods depends on the nominalprices
the author
of both goods and the nominalmoney stock; furthermore,
has assumed away "money illusion," so that demands must be homogeneousof degreezero in all nominalquantities.Choosingthenominal price of the home good as the deflatorfornominalvariables, demands are given by
CT=
CT (e,
m)
CH = CH (e, m)
(2)
where
m=
M
PH
Oe
OCH
m >0
Am
>CT0
Om
(2')
dR =
dt
= QT (e) - CT (e, m)
(3)
m)
(4)
As shown in Figure 1, a higherstock of real cash balances--mincreases CH and requires a higherrelativeprice of home goods-a
lower e-to clear the market. Thus, for the marketequilibriumfor
STYLIZED
MODEL OF DEVALUATION-INFLATION
79
SPIRAL
e
CHfe,mo)
CH e,m1>mo)
/
eO
el
_ __
__ _ _
_ _
I
QH(e)
QH,CH
FIGURE I
H' (e)<
(5)
where
OQT
ae
- CT[e,H(e)]
(6)
OCr OCT
Oe Om
INTERNATIONAL
80
= f (e)
Thus,-
(7)
orlessthanzeroas thebalanceofpayments
willbe greater
is in surplusor deficit.
Figure2 describesthedynamicbehavioroftheeconomy.Thedownof m and e for
wardslopingscheduleHH shows the combinations
as in equation(4) or
whichthehomegoods marketis in equilibrium,
theonlylevelofe forwhich
(5). The verticallineat e = e represents
M=
= 0.
a predetermined
variable.In Figure2, theline0 E0 showsthepreEo
vailingmleratioat timeto,giventhenominalmoneystockM(to)and
is thenattainedat
the(fixed)exchangerateE0o.Short-run
equilibrium
theintersection
of the0
Eo
STYLIZED
SPIRAL
MODEL OF DEVALUATION-INFLATION
81
M(to)
Eo
mfto) -
---
^^
~~0 ~
e(to)
^HH
FIGURE 2
withexternalbalancean(l pricestability.
equilibrium
oftheadjustment
and moreintuitive
An alternative
proexplanation
withan initialstockofcash balancessuch
cess is as follows.Starting
thatthe balanceof paymentsis in deficit,the subsequentfallin M
owingto reservelosses decreasesthedemandforhomegoods,thus
a lowernominalpriceof homegoods to clearthatmarket.
requiring
in thebalanceof
The fallin bothPH andM worktowarda reduction
of tradedgoodsis decreasedwhile
deficit,as consumption
payments
remainsin
increases.As longas thebalanceof payments
production
INTERNATIONAL
82
M andPH keepfalling
timeandthebalanceofpayments
deficit,
through
M and PH fallto a levellow enoughto
eventually,
keepsimproving;
at whichpointM, andthusPH,
equilibrium,
yieldbalanceofpayments
achieved.
tendsto remainstableas externalbalanceis finally
*D
-R/ +--
(9)
(10)
We mustnowaccountforthefactthattherateofchangein reserves
equals the privatesector's excess supplyof tradedgoods-equation(6)-minus therateofgovernment
purchasesoftradedgoods(go),
so that
R
(11)
=f(e)-gO
STYLIZED
MODEL OF DEVALUATION-INFLATION
83
SPIRAL
-f(e)
(12)
M=0
R=O
M(to)
Eo
Mfto)
E1
. HH
FIGURE 3
Beforetheintroduction
ofthedeficit-financed
spending,theeconomy
for
at
at
whichbothR and M
was its steady state equilibrium pointa,
were zero. With the introductionof a positive rate of government
spending,go, the R = 0 line shiftsto the rightup to e = e, such that
f (e) - go = 0. Neitherthe marketequilibriumscheduleforhomegoods
nor the 3M = 0 schedule is affectedby the new rate of government
spending.At the instantof the change, nothinghappens withe and m,
as all of the governmentdeficitis financedwithreservelosses. (Since
84
INTERNATIONAL
ofgovernment
on tradedgoodsdoesnothave
theintroduction
spending
an instantaneous
inflationary
impacton thepricesofhomegoods,as
reserve
all theexcess demandfortradedgoodsis equilibrated
through
losses.
Assumenow thatin theinitialsituation
international
reserveswere
at a level(Ra) thatwas judgedto be an acceptablelong-run
average.
Assumealso thatthereis a minimum
acceptablereservelevel(Rm)at
whichthecentralbankhas to takecorrective
action.Assumingthat
the fiscaldeficitcannotbe removedand thata permanent
inflowof
aid cannotbe obtained,theonlycorrective
actionleftto the
foreign
bankis devaluation.
itis notsensibleto assumethatthe
Furthermore,
devaluationwillbe aimedat yieldingpreciselyexternalbalance,because in thatcase reserveswouldbe stabilizedonlyfora moment:
sincethemoneysupplykeepsincreasing
on accountofdomesticcredit
wouldturnintodeficit
creation,thebalanceofpayments
immediately
afterward
andthusreserveswouldfallagainbelowRm.The authorhas
thusassumedthatthecentralbankwoulddevaluesufficiently
to generatea periodof balanceofpaymentssurplusesthatwouldbringthe
stockofreservesbackto theaverageacceptablelevel,Ra.
Goingback to Figure3, aftertheincreaseing, thesystemremains
at pointa whilereservesare running
motionless
down;whenRa-Rm
nominal
ofreservesis lost,a devaluation
takesplace. Attheprevailing
the
the
devaluation
is to
for
home
immediate
effect
of
price
goods,
increasethepriceoftradedgoods,andthusresourcesareshifted
away
of homegoods intothatof tradedgoods,while
fromtheproduction
thedemandforhomegoodsis increased;thereis thusa potential
excess
a higher
demandinthehomegoodsmarket
thatis clearedthrough
PH.
The increasein thenominalpriceof homegoods must,however,be
smallerthantherisein thenominalexchangerate,so thattheimpact
effectof thedevaluationis to increasethelevelof therealexchange
rate.To see this,assumethatin responseto theriseinE, thepriceof
homegoods wereto increasein thesameproportion,
suchthate remainedunchanged;
fromanyrealcash balanceseffect,
both
abstaining
supplyofanddemandforhomegoodswouldthenremainat theirsame
levels (since e would thenbe the same). Real cash
predevaluation
balances,however,mustbe lower,sincePHhas risenandthusCH must
havefallen,eventhough
e is unchanged;
theremustthenbe an excess
supplyofhomegoodscallingfora lowerPH. It followsthat,afterthe
thantheincrease
devaluation,
PHmustrisebutin a smallerproportion
in E.
on thepricesofhomegoods,thehigher
Followingtheimpacteffect
STYLIZED
MODEL OF DEVALUATION-INFLATION
SPIRAL
85
86
INTERNATIONAL
withthetroughs
International
reservesfollowa cyclicalpattern
being
reachedwhendevaluations
takeplaceand thepeakswhentheequilibriumpathreachespointc alongHH. The nominalmoneystockfollows
twophases:(1) a stablemoneysupply,as thesystemrestsat pointa;
rateof expansion,as the equilibrium
(2) a positivebut decelerating
movesfromb to a.
PH
Figure4 showsthetypicalpathforthepricelevel. Even though
thesystemhas a built-in
has periodsofstability,
inflation
ratethat,on
average,will equal the averagerateof monetary
expansionforthe
reservestranstypicalcycle.Sinceoverthetypicalcycle,international
actionsdo notcontribute
to themoneysupply(at thegivenexchange
ratereservesare builtup fromRmto Ra and thenlostagain),all the
increasein thenominalmoneysupplymustbe due to domesticcredit
creation;thus,on thetypicalcycle
go~
AD
AM
AM M
M
ME E
STYLIZED
MODEL OF DEVALUATION-INFLATION
87
SPIRAL
time
FIGURE 4
AM
so that--
= go/mT
M
where mT = - is the average value of real cash balances in termsof
traded goods. The average inflationrate in the prices of home goods
and of tradedgoods, Tr,equals the average rateof monetaryexpansion
over the cycle, so that
7T = go/mT
88
INTERNATIONAL
suddenjumps,
priceof homegoodsgoes through
phasesof stability,
and steadyinflation,
is notconduciveto an
an outcomethatcertainly
neiand efficient
allocationofresources.In thiscircumstance,
orderly
thera stablenora smoothpathofpricesis achievedunderfixedrates,
and a freefloating
or crawlingpeg systemmaybe preferable.
Under
thefloating
in the
system,thecentralbankabstainsfromintervening
and thenominalexchangeratewilladjustso
foreign
exchangemarket,
thatexternal
balanceis continuously
achieved.SinceR = 0 atall times,
theeconomywillalwaysbe atpointc inFigure3 withtherealexchange
rateat thelevele and inflation
proceedingat thestablerate T =g-
mT
An alternative
to a freelyfloating
rateis a crawling
peg withperiodic
butsmalldevaluations.
In thiscase, thesignalforthedevaluation
can
stillbe givenby thelevelofreserves,butin orderto reducethesize
ofexchangerateadjustment,
theminimum
acceptablelevelRmshould
be putas close as necessaryto theacceptablelevelRa, sincethesize
of theexchangeadjustment
and thelengthof thetypicalcycle vary
withthedifference
betweenR, andR,m
directly
IV. Conclusions
In thispaper,theauthorhas developeda simplemodelto analyze
someoftheessentialelementsoftheinflation-devaluation
spiralinthe
of
a
real
creation
deficit
credit
financed
presence
government
through
the
He
the
central
bank.
has
shown
that
those
circumstances
under
by
of
are
and
balance
inconexternal
objectives pricestability
mutually
sistent,and thatthelikelyoutcome,as theeconomymovesalongthe
and
stagesofthetypicalcycle,is successiveperiodsofpricestability
external
devaluation
followedbyinflation
andexternalsurplus,
deficit,
and finally
inflation
andexternaldeficit.Whilecasualobdecelerating
servation
wouldindicatethatinflation
is beingprecededbydevaluation
and monetization
of theresulting
balanceofpayments
surpluses,the
conclusionthattheexternalsectoris thecause of theinflation
would
be inappropriate.
it is correctthatovera shortperiodfolAlthough
lead the movelowingthedevaluationexternalsectordevelopments
mentin domesticprices,over theentiretypicalcyclethepricelevel
followsthepathofthemoneysupply,whichis determined
entirely
by
domesticcreditcreationto financethe fiscaldeficit.(As we saw in
SectionII, the externalsectordoes not contribute
at all to money
creationover the wholeof the typicalcycle.) Once thepropertime
itfollowsclearlythatthepriceleveland the
dimension
is recognized,
STYLIZED
MODEL OF DEVALUATION-INFLATION
SPIRAL
89