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Formal Sector Price Discoveries: Preliminary Results from a Developing Country

Author

Listed:
  • Muhammad Ali Choudhary

    (State Bank of Pakistan)

  • Saima Naeem

    (State Bank of Pakistan)

  • Abdul Faheem

    (State Bank of Pakistan)

  • Muhammad Nadim Hanif

    (State Bank of Pakistan)

  • Farooq Pasha

    (State Bank of Pakistan)

Abstract

We present preliminary results of 1086 structured interviews about price setting behavior of the formal firms in the manufacturing and services sector of Pakistan. Our key discoveries are that frequency of price change is considerably high in Pakistan, lowering the real impact of monetary policy. Price rigidity is explained mainly by firms caring about relative prices and the persistence of a given shock. The exchange rate and cost shocks are more important than financial and demand shocks for both setting prices and also the readiness with which these pass-through to the economy. Large firms change prices more frequently compared to smaller firms. Formal sector firms, especially medium sized firms, interact more with informal sector firms through the demand and supply channels. Formal firms highly connected with the informal sector have lower frequency of price changes. Formal sector firms hold lack of taxes and compliance with tax regime, i.e. enforcement, as the main reasons for the existence of the informal sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Muhammad Ali Choudhary & Saima Naeem & Abdul Faheem & Muhammad Nadim Hanif & Farooq Pasha, 2011. "Formal Sector Price Discoveries: Preliminary Results from a Developing Country," SBP Working Paper Series 42, State Bank of Pakistan, Research Department.
    • Handle: RePEc:sbp:wpaper:42
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Shahzad Ahmad & Farooq Pasha, 2015. "A Pragmatic Model for Monetary Policy Analysis I: The Case of Pakistan," SBP Research Bulletin, State Bank of Pakistan, Research Department, vol. 11, pages 1-42.
    2. Arslan Majeed & Shahid Mansoor Hashmi & Romila Qamar, 2017. "Monetary Policy Transmission and Firms’ Investment: Evidence From the Manufacturing Sector of Pakistan," Romanian Economic Journal, Department of International Business and Economics from the Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest, vol. 20(66), pages 2-34, December.
    3. Ahmed, Waqas & Choudhary, M. Ali & Khan, Sajawal & Naeem, Saima & Zoega, Gylfi, 2014. "Determinants of wage stickiness in a developing economy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 296-304.
    4. Shah Hussein & Amna Saeed & Amer Hassan, 2011. "The Financial Accelerator: An Emerging Market Story," Working Papers id:4551, eSocialSciences.
    5. Adnan Haider & Asad Jan & Kalim Hyder, 2013. "On the (Ir)Relevance of Monetary Aggregate Targeting in Pakistan: An Eclectic View," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 18(2), pages 65-119, July-Dec.
    6. M. Ali Choudhary & Saima Mahmood & Gylfi Zoega, 2015. "Informal Labour Markets in Pakistan," BCAM Working Papers 1504, Birkbeck Centre for Applied Macroeconomics.
    7. Mr. Marco Airaudo & Mr. Edward F Buffie & Luis-Felipe Zanna, 2016. "Inflation Targeting and Exchange Rate Management In Less Developed Countries," IMF Working Papers 2016/055, International Monetary Fund.
    8. Muhammad Nadim Hanif & Muhammad Jahanzeb Malik & Javed Iqbal, 2016. "Intrinsic Inflation Persistence in a Developing Country," SBP Research Bulletin, State Bank of Pakistan, Research Department, vol. 12, pages 19-42.
    9. Ahmad, Yamin S. & Staveley-O’Carroll, Olena M., 2017. "Exploring international differences in inflation dynamics," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 115-135.
    10. Waqas Ahmed & Farooq Pasha & Sajawal Khan & Muhammad Rehman, 2012. "Pakistan Economy DSGE Model with Informality," SBP Working Paper Series 47, State Bank of Pakistan, Research Department.
    11. Ahmed, Shahzad & Pasha, Farooq, 2014. "The Role of Money in Explaining Business Cycles for a Developing Economy: The Case of Pakistan," MPRA Paper 55262, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 11 Apr 2014.
    12. Muhammad Nadim Hanif & Muhammad Jahanzeb Malik, 2015. "Evaluating the Performance of Inflation Forecasting Models of Pakistan," SBP Research Bulletin, State Bank of Pakistan, Research Department, vol. 11, pages 43-78.
    13. Buffie, Edward F. & Zanna, Luis-Felipe, 2018. "Limited Asset Market Participation And Determinacy In The Open Economy," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(8), pages 1937-1977, December.
    14. M. Ali Choudhary & Saima Mahmood & Sajawal Khan & Waqas Ahmed & Gylfi Zoega, 2013. "Sticky Wages in a Developing Country: Lessons from Structured Interviews in Pakistan," School of Economics Discussion Papers 0213, School of Economics, University of Surrey.
    15. Buffie, Edward F. & Airaudo, M. & Zanna, Felipe, 2018. "Inflation targeting and exchange rate management in less developed countries," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 159-184.
    16. Adnan Haider & Musleh ud Din & Ejaz Ghani, 2012. "Monetary Policy, Informality and Business Cycle Fluctuations in a Developing Economy Vulnerable to External Shocks," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 51(4), pages 609-681.
    17. Fauzia SOHAIL* & Ambreen FATIMA**, 2018. "PRICE SETTING BEHAVIOUR IN PAKISTAN: Stylized Facts from Micro SPI Dataset," Pakistan Journal of Applied Economics, Applied Economics Research Centre, vol. 28(2), pages 253-286.
    18. Hanif, Muhammad Nadim, 2012. "A Note on Food Inflation in Pakistan," MPRA Paper 45009, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 11 Mar 2013.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Nominal price rigidity; price setting; shock dissemination; state and time dependant rules; informal economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E5 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit
    • F4 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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