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The Potential of Foreign Aid as Insurance

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  • Stéphane Pallage

    (International Monetary Fund)

  • Michel A. Robe

    (International Monetary Fund)

  • Catherine Bérubé

    (International Monetary Fund)

Abstract

This paper quantifies the potential of foreign aid as an insurance mechanism against macroeconomic shocks. Within a dynamic model of aid flows between two endowment economies, we show that at least three-fourths of the large welfare costs of macroeconomic fluctuations in poor countries could be alleviated by a simple reallocation of aid flows across time. In developing countries subject to persistent macroeconomic shocks, the resulting welfare improvement is of first-order magnitude. Copyright 2006, International Monetary Fund

Suggested Citation

  • Stéphane Pallage & Michel A. Robe & Catherine Bérubé, 2006. "The Potential of Foreign Aid as Insurance," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 53(3), pages 1-5.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:imfstp:v:53:y:2006:i:3:p:5
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    Cited by:

    1. Arellano, Cristina & Bulír, Ales & Lane, Timothy & Lipschitz, Leslie, 2009. "The dynamic implications of foreign aid and its variability," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 87-102, January.
    2. Carter, Patrick, 2014. "Aid allocation rules," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 132-151.
    3. Qiaoqiao Liu & Zenggang Li, 2022. "Aid instability, aid effectiveness and economic growth," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 40(1), January.
    4. Bulír, Ales & Hamann, A. Javier, 2008. "Volatility of Development Aid: From the Frying Pan into the Fire?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 2048-2066, October.
    5. Wang, Cheng & Williamson, Stephen D., 2002. "Moral hazard, optimal unemployment insurance, and experience rating," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(7), pages 1337-1371, October.
    6. Julia Cage, 2009. "Asymmetric information, rent extraction and aid efficiency," Working Papers halshs-00575055, HAL.
    7. S. Guillaumont Jeanneney & S. J‐A. Tapsoba, 2012. "Aid and Income Stabilization," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(2), pages 216-229, May.
    8. Kletzer, Kenneth, 2005. "Aid and Sanctions," Santa Cruz Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt5hq5d9gp, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    9. Boateng, Elliot & Agbola, Frank W. & Mahmood, Amir, 2021. "Foreign aid volatility and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does institutional quality matter?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 111-127.
    10. Ernest Ouédraogo & Ibrahim Ouédraogo & Emmanuel Lompo, 2020. "Political Instability and Firm Performance: A Microeconomic Evidence from Ivory Coast," American Journal of Economics and Business Administration, Science Publications, vol. 12(1), pages 49-55, October.
    11. Agénor, Pierre-Richard & Aizenman, Joshua, 2010. "Aid volatility and poverty traps," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 1-7, January.
    12. Michal Chervin & Sweder van Wijnbergen, 2010. "Economic Growth and the Volatility of Foreign Aid," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 10-002/2, Tinbergen Institute.
    13. Islamaj, Ergys & Kose, M. Ayhan, 2022. "What types of capital flows help improve international risk sharing?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    14. Dabla-Norris, Era & Minoiu, Camelia & Zanna, Luis-Felipe, 2015. "Business Cycle Fluctuations, Large Macroeconomic Shocks, and Development Aid," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 44-61.
    15. Temple, Jonathan R.W., 2010. "Aid and Conditionality," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Dani Rodrik & Mark Rosenzweig (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 4415-4523, Elsevier.
    16. Sylviane Guillaumont Jeanneney & Sampawende Jules Tapsoba, 2011. "Aid and Income Stabilization," CERDI Working papers halshs-00554289, HAL.
    17. Kodama, Masahiro, 2012. "Aid Unpredictability and Economic Growth," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 266-272.
    18. Loujaina Abdelwahed & Georgios Karras, 2021. "Did 272 billion dollars from China help stabilize business cycle fluctuations in recipient countries?," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 314-358, May.
    19. Garriga, Ana Carolina & Phillips, Brian John, 2014. "Foreign Aid as a Signal to Investors: Predicting FDI in Post-Conflict Countries," MPRA Paper 88643, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. S. Guillaumont Jeanneney & S. J‐A. Tapsoba, 2012. "Aid and Income Stabilization," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(2), pages 216-229, May.
    21. Mr. Ales Bulir & Alma Romero-Barrutieta & Jose Daniel Rodríguez-Delgado, 2011. "The Dynamic Implications of Debt Relief for Low-Income Countries," IMF Working Papers 2011/157, International Monetary Fund.
    22. Anubha DHASMANA, 2010. "Welfare Gains Of Aid Indexation In Small Open Economies," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 48(2), pages 247-276, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F35 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Aid
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E60 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - General

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