Dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in Thailand : an empirical investigation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute further on the twin deficits debate in a developing economy. Design/methodology/approach – The data for Thailand over three decades are used as a case study. Findings – The major findings are: first, a stable, long-run equilibrium relati...

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Main Authors: Ahmad Zubaidi, Baharumshah, Lau, Evan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1602/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1602/1/Ahmad%20Zubaidi%2C%20Baharumshah.pdf
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author Ahmad Zubaidi, Baharumshah
Lau, Evan
author_facet Ahmad Zubaidi, Baharumshah
Lau, Evan
author_sort Ahmad Zubaidi, Baharumshah
building UNIMAS Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute further on the twin deficits debate in a developing economy. Design/methodology/approach – The data for Thailand over three decades are used as a case study. Findings – The major findings are: first, a stable, long-run equilibrium relationship between fiscal deficit, interest rate, exchange rate, and current account was found. Second, the causal relationship between the two deficits runs from fiscal deficit to current account deficit. This evidence is supportive of the twin deficits hypothesis. Further econometric analysis reveals that the two financial variables (interest rate and exchange rate) act as intermediating variables – that is an increased fiscal deficit causes interest rate to rise, and this in turn puts pressure on the exchange rate. The appreciation of the domestic currency causes a current account deficit. Originality/value – The paper is of value by showing both direct and indirect channels to uncover the twin deficits phenomena. Based on a persistent profile response, it was found that the adjustment process may take as long as a year to complete
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spelling unimas-16022021-07-09T23:36:51Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1602/ Dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in Thailand : an empirical investigation Ahmad Zubaidi, Baharumshah Lau, Evan G Geography (General) HG Finance HJ Public Finance Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute further on the twin deficits debate in a developing economy. Design/methodology/approach – The data for Thailand over three decades are used as a case study. Findings – The major findings are: first, a stable, long-run equilibrium relationship between fiscal deficit, interest rate, exchange rate, and current account was found. Second, the causal relationship between the two deficits runs from fiscal deficit to current account deficit. This evidence is supportive of the twin deficits hypothesis. Further econometric analysis reveals that the two financial variables (interest rate and exchange rate) act as intermediating variables – that is an increased fiscal deficit causes interest rate to rise, and this in turn puts pressure on the exchange rate. The appreciation of the domestic currency causes a current account deficit. Originality/value – The paper is of value by showing both direct and indirect channels to uncover the twin deficits phenomena. Based on a persistent profile response, it was found that the adjustment process may take as long as a year to complete Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2007 Article NonPeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1602/1/Ahmad%20Zubaidi%2C%20Baharumshah.pdf Ahmad Zubaidi, Baharumshah and Lau, Evan (2007) Dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in Thailand : an empirical investigation. Journal of Economic Studies, 34 (6). pp. 454-475. ISSN 0144-3585 DOI 10.1108/01443580710830943
spellingShingle G Geography (General)
HG Finance
HJ Public Finance
Ahmad Zubaidi, Baharumshah
Lau, Evan
Dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in Thailand : an empirical investigation
title Dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in Thailand : an empirical investigation
title_full Dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in Thailand : an empirical investigation
title_fullStr Dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in Thailand : an empirical investigation
title_full_unstemmed Dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in Thailand : an empirical investigation
title_short Dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in Thailand : an empirical investigation
title_sort dynamics of fiscal and current account deficits in thailand : an empirical investigation
topic G Geography (General)
HG Finance
HJ Public Finance
url http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1602/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1602/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1602/1/Ahmad%20Zubaidi%2C%20Baharumshah.pdf