Reid W. Click

Seigniorage in a Cross-Section of Countries

Empirical investigation of the average level of seigniorage in a cross-section of (up to) ninety countries for the period 1971-90 suggests that optimum tax theory explains up to 40 percent of the cross-country variation in seigniorage, since seigniorage is higher where its deadweight losses are probably lower and where deadweight losses from conventional taxation are probably higher, but that average government spending is not a determinant of seigniorage. Practical concerns about financing transitory government spending explain some of the remaining variation in seigniorage, and central bank independence and political instability are useful as well. In contrast, 90 percent of the cross-country variation in conventional taxation appears to be determined by the level of government spending and deadweight losses, and additional variables do not add to the results.

Does Multinationality Matter? Evidence of Value Destruction in U.S. Multinational Corporations

We document that capital markets penalize corporate multinationality by putting a lower value on the equity of multinational corporations than on otherwise similar domestic corporations. Using Tobins q, the multinational discount is estimated to be in the range of 8.6% to 17.1%. The most important mechanism of value destruction is an asset channel in which multinationals have disproportionately high levels of assets in relation to the earnings they generate. Foreign assets are particularly associated with value destruction. In contrast, exporting from U.S. operations is associated with an export premium -- of approximately 3.9% -- resulting from both a higher market value and a lower asset size. Given these findings, we ask why firms become multinationals. Evidence reveals that the portion of a firm owned by management is inversely related to the likelihood that the firm is a multinational, so we conclude that managers who do not own much of the firm may be building multinational empires for private gains at the expense of the shareholders.

Banks That Don't Lend? Unlocking Credit to Spur Growth in Developing Countries

This article explores the level of liquidity within the banking systems of developing countries and the potential impact on rates of economic growth from prudently redirecting a portion of liquid assets into credit to the private sector. It finds that banks in developing countries are extremely liquid and growth rates per capita might increase substantially in response to heightened lending to the private sector. It then summarises the primary obstacles to this and presents several policy reforms that can augment the level of credit to the private sector in developing countries.

The impact of shocks to exchange rates and oil prices on U.S. sales of American and Japanese automakers

Abstract Since 1973, floating exchange rates and significant oil-price changes have coincided with dramatic market-share gains (losses) by Japanese (American) automakers in the U.S. market. This paper analyzes and empirically estimates the extent to which exchange rate and oil price changes have contributed to this market shift. We first develop a dynamic Cournot model of long-run profit-maximizing firms that operate in a macroeconomy characterized by shocks to income, exchanges rates, oil prices, and firm-specific demands and supplies. Using the solutions for quantities sold from this model, we then construct a structural vector autoregression (VAR) to estimate and identify a reduced-form VAR. The empirical results indicate that a strong yen increases quantities sold by American automakers and decreases quantities sold by Japanese automakers; this exchange-rate effect accounts for approximately four percent of the variance of changes in monthly-sales quantity for automakers. Oil-price increases reduce the quantity of automobiles sold by American automakers, but, contrary to the common belief, have little effect on Japanese automakers; this oil-price effect accounts for 6.5 percent of the variance of changes in monthly-sales quantities for American automakers. Over the two decades we analyze, however, the real value of the dollar has almost steadily declined against the yen, and the real price of oil has ended up unchanged, so these variables cannot explain the decline (rise) of American (Japanese) automakers. Clearly, automobile sales are exposed to exchange rate, oil price, and income risk; between 10 and 20 percent of the changes in monthly-sales quantities can be explained by the macroeconomic variables that we analyze. However, we conclude that firm-specific policies probably account for the bulk of gains and losses actually experienced by the automakers.

Seigniorage and conventional taxation with multiple exogenous shocks

Abstract The correlation between seigniorage and conventional taxation is investigated in a dynamic optimizing model which contains three shocks (to government expenditure and to the deadweight losses associated with conventional taxation and seigniorage), asymmetric costs of adjusting revenue, and potential absence of the availability of debt. Solutions and impulse response functions from the theoretical model are used to construct a three-variable structural vector autoregression (VAR) and identify the empirical reduced-form VAR. Judged by the parameter estimates, empirical impulse response functions, forecast error variance decompositions, and historical decompositions of the time series, identification is successful and the econometric results are supportive of the theoretical model.

Introduction to Value Creation in Multinational Enterprise

In a fundamental sense, creation of value is the purpose of a firm. Values – measured by profits, cash flows, stock prices, or some strategic objectives – are the ultimate reasons why a firm exists. The ongoing and ever-expanding discussion of globalization, whether based on trade flows or financial flows, draws attention to the value of multinational enterprise. Existing empirical work on the impact of multinational firms, however, is inconclusive. Some observers point to the valuation discount with international operations due to the costs of agency and control and the difficulty of coordinating complex organizations and cultures. Others emphasize the value of a multinational network and the operational efficiency of a multinational enterprise (MNE). Thus, issues related to value creation are important and lively areas of business and finance. In fact, value creation is now at the frontier between the functional areas of finance and strategy. In international finance, the topic also interacts with economics in the areas of strategic trade policy and exchange rate behavior, as well as business strategy, as it relates to the management of an MNE. The role of government policy is also part of the debate, because the importance of public policy and the behavior of policymakers are elevated when finance and business become international, as evidenced by consistent attention to political risk.

The Value Creation Perspective of International Strategic Management

This paper applies the concept of value creation to examine the strategic management of multinational enterprises. “International strategic management” is first defined as the process through which value is created by managers operating across a national border. The domain of international strategic management is thus determined by activities that distinguish international management from domestic management in the process of value creation. This perspective on value creation is used to answer three questions pertaining to international strategic management. First, how important is international strategic management? Simple statistics presented here demonstrate that the international component of value creation is important in the U.S. economy. Second, what is the domain of international strategic management? The paper presents a framework in which international strategic management is the aggregation of value created through international production, marketing, and financial activities, and reveals that the domain of international management is vast. Third, does international strategic management make the whole multinational enterprise worth more than the sum of its parts? Empirical evidence suggests that the answer is yes, at least for U.S. multinationals in the early 1990s.

FINANCE: EVOLUTION OR RLATIN

This book is an attempt to reflect on what we have learned from financial policies and financial crises in Latin America. The 21 chapters in this volume capture the developments in various ways. They cover theoretical contributions, regional empirical studies, and specific inquiries on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. The breadth of methodologies implemented suggests that researchers are looking at Latin American financial markets through a variety of lenses. The chapters are divided into 7 parts, including, in Part I, an initial overview. Part II examines the foreign exchange markets in Latin America and their interactions with other markets. Part III discusses dollarization issues in the region. Part IV then takes up the issue of banking in Latin America. Equity and bond markets are considered in Parts V and VI, respectively. Lastly, Part VII considers pension systems in Latin America. Taken as a whole, the 21 chapters seize the excitement of studying Latin America and provide lessons that are applicable around the world.