The composition of government spending and the real exchange rate

We show that the composition of government spending influences the long-run behavior of the real exchange rate. We develop a two-sector small open-economy model in which an increase in government consumption is associated with real appreciation, while an increase in government investment may generate real depreciation. Our empirical work confirms that government consumption and government investment have differential effects on the real exchange rate and the relative price of nontradables. JEL codes: E62, F31, F41 Keywords: government consumption, government investment, real exchange rate.
IN RECENT YEARS, there has been a resurgence of interest in the long-run behavior of real exchange rates. Along one dimension, the role of an 'undervalued' real exchange rate in [...]