FOROUHESHFAR Yeganeh

MENA region is undergoing rapid demographic transition, where 50% of the population is under the age 25 and high youth unemployment rates are argued to be one of the main sources of political instability. In this paper we evaluate the economic impact of the demographic transition for selected MENA countries, namely: Iran, Morocco and Egypt who experience different speeds of transition. We have developed a general equilibrium overlapping generations model with a cost of capital mobilisation as a proxy for financial markets’ efficiency and simulated the demographic trends in each country. We find that the demographic shift will be an important driver for growth in the upcoming decades. Furthermore, our results show that a more efficient financial sector leads to better economic performance. Specifically, youth are the primary beneficiaries: an increase in the financial sector efficiency can reduce up to 8 percentage points of the the unemployment rate for the youngest age group.

This thesis studies the impact of the financial markets on economic growth for MENA region. The first chapter presents a general overview of the region, with a focus on economic, demographic and financial market outlook of the region. In the second chapter an overlapping generation model is presented, that links economic development, financial markets and demographic shift. The model is simulated for three countries in the region with different speeds in demographic shift. The results show that a more efficient financial sector leads to better economic performance and higher employment rates, furthermore, youth are the primary beneficiaries of the reform in the financial sector. The third chapter tests empirically the link between the financial sector and the real sector in 15 MENA countries and finds a negative impact of financial sector development on growth. These results underline the expansion of an inefficient financial sector in the region, and the urgent need to focus on policies that target the efficiency of the sector and not solely its size. A comprehensive composite index for the financial sector development is developed in the fourth chapter. This index is based on three pillars that are, macroeconomic environment, financial institutions and financial markets. The index takes into account the specificities of MENA countries and allows us to rank the countries in the region according to their performance in the financial sector.

This thesis studies the impact of financial markets on economic growth in the MENA region. The first chapter presents the economic, demographic, and financial situation in the region. The second chapter presents a nested-generation general equilibrium model that links economic growth, financial markets, and demographic change. The model is calibrated and simulated for three countries in the region with different demographic trends. The results show that a more efficient financial sector leads to better economic performance and higher employment rates. Moreover, young people are the primary beneficiaries of financial sector reform. The third chapter empirically tests the impact of the financial sector on the real sector and growth in 15 MENA countries and finds a negative impact of financial sector development on growth. These results highlight the inefficiency of the financial sector in the region and the urgent need to target policies that improve the efficiency of the sector, not just its size. In the fourth chapter, a financial market development indicator is constructed for countries in the region. This indicator is based on the three pillars of the macroeconomic environment, financial institutions, and financial markets. It takes into account the specificities of the MENA countries and allows ranking the countries of the region according to their performance in the financial sector.

We study the implication of yuan internationalization on the stability of the international monetary system. More specifically, we use a three-country, three-currency portfolio model to analyze the impact of yuan internationalization on exchange rates in the event of trade shocks, with stock-flow adjustment of the net foreign asset positions. We show that the internationalization of the yuan would lessen the response of floating exchange rates to asymmetric trade shocks as well as attenuate the distortionary impact of China keeping its currency pegged to the dollar. Conversely, yuan internationalization would amplify the impact of trade shocks on net foreign asset positions, albeit to a limited extent.

We study the implication of a multipolarization of the international monetary system on cross-currency volatility. More specifically, we analyze whether the internationalization of the yuan could modify the impact of asset supply and trade shocks on the euro-dollar exchange rate, within a three-country, three-currency portfolio model. Our static model shows that the internationalization of the yuan (defined as a rise in the yuan in international portfolios) would be either neutral or stabilizing for the euro-dollar rate, whatever the exchange-rate regime of China. Moving to a dynamic, stock-flow framework, we show that the internationalization of the yuan would make exchange-rate variations more efficient to stabilize net foreign asset positions after a trade shock.

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We study the implication of a multipolarization of the international monetary system on crosscurrency volatility. More specifically, we analyze whether the internationalization of the yuan could modify the impact of asset supply and trade shocks on the euro-dollar exchange rate, within a threecountry, three-currency portfolio model. Our static model shows that the internationalization of the yuan (defined as a rise in the yuan in international portfolios) would be either neutral or stabilizing for the euro-dollar rate, whatever the exchange-rate regime of China. Moving to a dynamic, stockflow framework, we show that the internationalization of the yuan would make exchange-rate variations more efficient to stabilize net foreign asset positions after a trade shock.