Asymmetric Terms-of-Trade Shocks in a Monetary Union: An Application to West Africa

Abstract

We propose a two-country dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model of a monetary union facing asymmetric terms-of-trade shocks, calibrated on Nigeria and West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). Three monetary regimes are successively studied at the union level: a flexible exchange rate with constant money supply, a flexible exchange rate with an accommodating monetary policy and a fixed exchange-rate regime. We find that, in the face of oil-price shocks, the most stabilising regime for Nigeria is a fixed money supply, whereas it is a fixed exchange rate for WAEMU. However, the introduction of an oil-stabilisation fund can reduce the disagreement on the common policy rule. Furthermore, the two zones may agree on a fixed money-supply rule in the face of both oil- and agricultural-price shocks. Copyright 2010 The author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: [e-mail], Oxford University Press.