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International Risk Sharing and Currency Unions: The CFA Zones

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  • Mr. Etienne B Yehoue

Abstract

This paper explores income and consumption smoothing patterns among the member countries of each of the CFA zones-the CEMAC2 and the WAEMU3-during the period 1980-2000. I find that for the CEMAC, only about 15 percent of shocks to GDP are smoothed through the standard channels (that is, capital market, credit market, and remittances). On the other hand, I find that 44 percent of shocks are smoothed via foreign aid from France, and 5 percent via central bank contributions, while reserves pooling provides no shock smoothing. For the WAEMU, I find that only 13 percent of shocks are smoothed through the standard channels, while 63 percent are smoothed via foreign aid from France, 7 percent via central bank contributions, and no smoothing via reserves pooling. I compare these results with the risksharing pattern in the Unites States. I argue that creating public venture capital at a regional level might help promote free capital flows within each zone and alleviate the apparently insufficient degree of risk-sharing observed through the standard channels.

Suggested Citation

  • Mr. Etienne B Yehoue, 2005. "International Risk Sharing and Currency Unions: The CFA Zones," IMF Working Papers 2005/095, International Monetary Fund.
    • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2005/095
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    Cited by:

    1. Jules-Armand Tapsoba, 2009. "West African Monetary Integration and Interstates Risk-Sharing," Post-Print hal-00460111, HAL.
    2. Sampawende Jules Tapsoba, 2011. "West African Monetary Integration and Interstates Risk-Sharing," CERDI Working papers halshs-00553244, HAL.
    3. Sampawende Jules Tapsoba, 2011. "Union Monétaire en Afrique de l'Ouest: Quelles Réponses à l'Hétérogénéité des Chocs ?," CERDI Working papers halshs-00554309, HAL.
    4. Sampawende Jules TAPSOBA, 2009. "Union Monétaire en Afrique de l’Ouest: Quelles Réponses à l’Hétérogénéité des Chocs ?," Working Papers 200912, CERDI.
    5. Sampawende Jules Tapsoba, 2011. "Union Monétaire en Afrique de l'Ouest: Quelles Réponses à l'Hétérogénéité des Chocs ?," Working Papers halshs-00554309, HAL.
    6. John Bosco Nnyanzi, 2015. "Financial Openness, Capital Flows and Risk Sharing in Africa," Global Economy Journal (GEJ), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(1), pages 51-82, March.
    7. Tapsoba Jules-Armand, 2007. "Bilateral Trade and Business Cycles Synchronization: African Monetary Integration Perspective," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 6(25), pages 1-15.
    8. Peterson Owusu Junior & Anokye M. Adam & George Tweneboah, 2017. "Co-movement of real exchange rates in the West African Monetary Zone," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 1351807-135, January.
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