Macro Closure
For this exercise a neutral or balanced set of macro closure rules is specified. Current
account balances for all regions are assumed to be fixed at initial benchmark levels in
terms of the global numeraire and real exchange rates adjust to maintain external
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equilibrium. Since the model only solves for relative prices, we assume that the consumer
price index in each country/region is fixed and that a trade-weighted average of the
exchange rates for the OECD-America countries is also fixed, defining the global
numeraire for the model. This treatment implies that the regional current account
balances are fixed in terms of the basket of goods underlying the OECD-America
consumer price index. Any change in, say, the nominal value of export earnings at world
market prices in the model can be seen as changes in dollars of constant purchasing
power in terms of this basket of goods.
The assumption of fixed current account balances reflects our focus on the trade channel,
assuming away the effects of the crisis on capital flows. It ensures that there are no
changes in future ―claims‖ on exports across the regions in the model, i.e., net asset
positions are fixed. In addition, we assume a ―balanced‖ macro adjustment to the shock
within countries. Changes in aggregate absorption are assumed to be shared equally (to
maintain the shares from the base data) among private consumption, government, and
investment demands.
Benchmark Data and Calibration
The model is calibrated to a social accounting matrix representation of the GTAP 7.0
database (Narayanan and Walmsley (eds.), 2008) that combines detailed bilateral trade,
and protection data reflecting economic linkages among regions with individual country
input-output data, which account for intersectoral linkages within regions, for the
benchmark year 2004. Production, trade and income elasticities are drawn from the
GTAP behavioural data base. Appendix A provides further detail and reports the key
elasticity figures.