Question

Difficulty: MediumBalance of Payments Disequilibrium and Adjustment Measures

Match each balance of payments adjustment policy measure on the left with its corresponding policy classification and operational mechanism on the right.

  • Devaluation of local currencyExpenditure-switching mechanism that lowers the foreign currency price of exports and raises the local currency price of imports.
  • Open market sale of government securitiesExpenditure-reducing monetary tool that contracts the money supply and raises interest rates to suppress domestic aggregate demand.
  • Imposition of protective import tariffsExpenditure-switching commercial tool that directly inflates the domestic price of foreign goods to discourage importation.
  • Increase in personal and corporate income tax ratesExpenditure-reducing fiscal tool that curbs disposable income, thereby suppressing aggregate expenditure on imports.

Answer

Devaluation pairs with the expenditure-switching mechanism altering relative import/export prices; open market sales pair with the expenditure-reducing monetary tool contracting money supply; tariffs pair with the expenditure-switching commercial tool raising foreign good prices; and tax rate hikes pair with the expenditure-reducing fiscal tool curbing disposable income.
The correct pairings accurately reflect how each policy operates to correct a balance of payments deficit: Devaluation lowers export prices abroad while making imports costlier at home (expenditure-switching exchange rate policy); open market sales reduce commercial bank reserves and money supply (expenditure-reducing monetary policy); tariffs directly increase import costs to redirect spending to local substitutes (expenditure-switching commercial policy); and higher income taxes reduce household disposable income and spending power (expenditure-reducing fiscal policy).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Differentiate between expenditure-switching and expenditure-reducing balance of payments adjustment strategies.
Expenditure-switching policies alter the relative prices of foreign and domestic goods to redirect demand, while expenditure-reducing policies compress overall domestic income and national demand.
Correctly classifying the primary macroeconomic objective of each policy is essential for accurate pairing.
2
Analyze each policy measure by instrument type (monetary, fiscal, or commercial).
Devaluation alters exchange rates (switching); open market sales use monetary tools to shrink money supply (reducing); tariffs use commercial restrictions to affect import prices (switching); and income taxes use fiscal policy to compress income (reducing).
Linking each policy measure to its specific operational channel ensures precise pairing with the mechanisms described.

Key Concept

Classification and Mechanisms of Balance of Payments Adjustment Policies
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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