Do Real Exchange Rates Follow a Nonlinear Mean Reverting Process in Developing Countries?

C-Tier
Journal: Southern Economic Journal
Year: 2008
Volume: 74
Issue: 4
Pages: 1049-1062

Authors (3)

Mohsen Bahmani‐Oskooee (not in RePEc) Ali M. Kutan (Southern Illinois University) Su Zhou (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.335 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

In an effort to fight relatively high inflation, many developing countries try to manage their nominal exchange rates through official intervention. In addition, developing countries tend to have high transportation costs, tariffs, and nontariff barriers. These factors are among the sources of generating nonlinearity in real exchange rates and hence some nonlinear adjustment toward purchasing power parity (PPP) in developing countries. In this paper, we employ monthly real effective exchange rate (REER) data of 88 developing countries and test the null of nonstationarity versus an alternative of linear stationarity by the means of a conventional unit root test and compare the results with those obtained from a new test in which the null is the same but the alternative hypothesis is nonlinear stationarity. The latter test supports the PPP theory in more developing countries compared with the former test, suggesting that nonlinear adjustment toward PPP in developing countries is an important phenomenon. Reported country characterizations indicate that reversion in REER occurs more often for high‐inflation countries and for countries with high flexibility in their exchange rates.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:wly:soecon:v:74:y:2008:i:4:p:1049-1062
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-24