Commodity Price Booms: Macroeconomic and Distributional Implications Marina Mendes Tavares 1,2 Adrian Peralta-Alva 1 Irina A. Telyukova 1,3 1 IMF 2 ITAM 3 University of California, San Diego Workshop on Macroeconomic Policy and Income Inequality This paper is part of a research project on macroeconomic policy in low-income countries supported by U.K. s Department for International Development (DFID), and it should not be reported as representing the views of the International Monetary Fund or of DFID. MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 1 / 28
FAO Food Price Index (1990 = 100) 180.0 170.0 160.0 150.0 00 140.0 130.0 120.0 110.0 100.0 90.0 80.0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 2 / 28
Import and Export Prices 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 Ghana Vietnam 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Uganda Zimbabwe 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Exports Price Imports Price MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 3 / 28
Increase in Food Prices Implications Expenditure of houlsehold in food: 1 13 % high-income countries 2 29 % middle-income countries 3 47 % low-income countries Share of the population in rural areas: 1 20 % high-income countries 2 50 % middle-income countries 3 62 % lower-middle income countries 4 72 % low-income countries MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 4 / 28
Response to the shock Government response: 1 Reduction in taxes and tariffs, Increase in food subsidies, Price controls, Increase public wage 2 Producer credit, Minimum produces price, Subsidy to inputs 3 Export tax, Quantitative export controls, Export price controls MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 5 / 28
Objectives Quantitative implications of the food and commodity price shocks in LICs? For the macroeconomy At a more granular level, for the distribution of income under key policies actually followed... and what would have happened under alternative policies MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 6 / 28
Methodology Pose general-equilibrium multi-sector heterogenous agent model Estimate the model using macro and household-level survey data Long-run and dynamic comparisons MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 7 / 28
Preview of Results In Ghana, observed shocks and tax policies 1 Have important consequences for aggregate consumption and investment 2 Increase consumption inequality LIC specific features matter for these conclusions 1 Financial market frictions behind increase in consumption inequality 2 Structure of the economy (exports are low value added commodities) behind fall in investment MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 8 / 28
Connections to literature Food Price Shocks Adam (2011), Aksoy and Isik-Dikmelik (2008), Regmi et al. (2001), Rakotoarisoa, Iafrate, and Paschali (2011), Caselli et al. (2012) Adam et al. (2013), Cudjoe et al. (2008), Ivanic et al. (2008) Structural Transformation Adamopoulos and Restuccia (2011), Caselli (2005), Gollin et al. (2012), Gollin et al. (2010) Restuccia (2008), Herrendford et al. (2012), Kongsamunt et al. (2000), Ngai and Pissarides (2008) Income Inequality Ayiagari (1994), Imrohoroglu (1989) Heathcote, Storessletten and Violante (2009), Guvenen (2013) MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 9 / 28
Model Framework c f c f Urban Workers (Wage Workers, Government Workers, Self-employed) c a Farms w co c o c a Entrepreneurs (Produce other goods and exported good) c e c f MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 10 / 28
Model: Entrepreneurs max {c a,c,c o,m,h o,h r,k} E 0 t=0 β t u(c F,f t, c F,o t ) s.t. c F,f = A(c F,a, c F, ) p a (c F,a + M) + p c F, + c F,o + x+ = π o + π r T F (π o, π r ) π o = z o F o (K o, Hd) o whd o π r = p r z r F r (Hd, r M) whd r K +1 = x + (1 δ)k x 0, 0 < δ 1 MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 11 / 28
Model: Households max {c a,c,c o,b,h g,h} E 0 t=0 β t u(c H,f t, c H,o t ) s.t. c H,f = A(c H,a, c H, ) p a c H,a + p c H, + c H,o + (1 + R)b H = b H +1 + s W (w g h g + wh) + Y H T H (wh, Y H ) Y H = z o s E F (H h h g ) h [0, H h g ] b H +1 B H. MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 12 / 28
Model: Farmers max {c a,c,c o,b} E 0 t=0 β t u(c A,f t, c A,o t ) s.t. c A,f = A(c A,a, c A, ) p a c A,a + p c A, + c A,o + (1 + R)b A = b A +1 + p a Y A T A (Y A ) Y A = s A z a l ξ b A +1 B A MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 13 / 28
Equilibrium An equilibrium for this economy is a vector of allocations of consumption, investment, time use and bond holding to farmers, urban workers, and entrepreneurs, together with prices {p a, w, R}. Such that given the international interest rates {r }, the price of imported food {p }, the price of exported goods {p r }, public employment and their wages {w g, H g }, a sequence of sectorial productivity shocks, and predetermined tax/transfers functions {T F, T H, T A }, the vector of allocations of consumption, investment, time use and bond holding to farmers, urban workers, and entrepreneurs, together with prices {p a, w, R}, solves the agents optimization problem and market clears. MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 14 / 28
Transmission mechanism Macro Higher natural resource prices shift productive resources into this sector (Dutch disease?) For labor to shift, pressure for wages to go up For intermediates to shift, pressure for price of food to go up Shock is a positive terms of trade shock, consumptions go up Relative price of manufacturing goes down and labor goes out, investment falls MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 15 / 28
Transmission mechanism Distribution Under complete markets all consumptions grow at par Farmers have a positive shock via the price of food Entrepreneurs face a negative shock (in eqn no profits from nat. res.)... but lower investment means higher consumption in the short run Households face higher prices and higher wages MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 16 / 28
Quantitative Experiments Unexpected shock: increase in prices.. and key policies observed (captured as changes in value added taxes) Use macro data and the richness of the model together with survey data to estimate model parameters... eventually consider counterfactual experiments MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 17 / 28
Data Data Ghana Urban Household Panel Survey (GUHPS): annual 2004-2012 1,156-2,100 workers, i.e. 400-600 households, depending on year Information on income, assets, occupation, sector, financial, household activity Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS): repeated cross-section, 2005-6, 2012-13. 18,000 households in last wave. (Just obtained 2005 wave from WB) MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 18 / 28
Data Data: Urban Labor Force Distributions 23% of urban labor force wage-employed;... of them 7% public sector Urban labor force < 1/2 population. Mostly non-agricultural. In 2012 GLSS, 51% of labor force is in agriculture. MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 19 / 28
Calibration Population Share Parameter Value Pop. share wage earners µ h 0.12 Pop. share agriculture µ a 0.48 Pop. share non-ag hh. enterprises µ o,h 0.34 Pop. share firms µ e 0.05 MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 20 / 28
Calibration Specification Functional forms: u(c a, c, c o ) = λ(log(c )) + (1 λ)(log(c a )) + µ log(c o ) F r (M, H) = z r M α1 H 1 α1 F o (K, H) = z o K α H 1 α F o,h (H) = s e z o H χ F A (H) = s a z a H ξ MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 21 / 28
Calibration Calibration Parameter Value Target Preferences Discount factor β 0.96 Period = 1 year Weight of numeraire in utility µ 0.91 Food Expenditure Share of imported food in utility λ 0.16 Imported food expenditure Technology Agricultural productivity z a 0.5 Share of urban to rural income Household enterprise productivity z o 0.9 Share of firm s productivity Household enterprise prod. fn. χ 0.67 Standard range (U.S) External sector productivity p r z r 1.7 Share of total exports in GDP External sector production fn. labor share α 1 0.62 Standard range (U.S.) Numeraire productivity z o 1 Normalization Numeraire production labor share η 0.59 Standard range (U.S.) Depreciation in the Numeraire sector δ 0.06 Standard range (U.S) Relative prices and wages Import price p 11 Exchange rate p /p a = 2.71 Public wage premium w g /w 1.5 Earnings data Productivity states to inequality data (HH level). MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 22 / 28
Calibration Benchmark Experiment: Shocks 1.6 1.5 1.4 Exports Price Imports Price Tariff on Imports 1.3 1.2 1.1 1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 23 / 28
Calibration Benchmark Experiment: Macro Implications 1.1 Output 1.1 Consumption 1.08 1.08 1.06 1.06 1.04 1.04 1.02 1.02 1 5 10 15 20 1 5 10 15 20 1 Investment 1.6 Next Exports 0.9 1.5 0.8 1.4 0.7 1.3 0.6 1.2 0.5 1.1 0.4 5 10 15 20 1 5 10 15 20 MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 24 / 28
Calibration Benchmark Experiment: Inequality impact 1.1 1.08 Farms Households Entrepreneurs 1.06 1.04 1.02 1 0.98 0.96 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 25 / 28
Calibration The role of - lack of -policy 1.06 1.05 Benchmark No Policy 1.04 1.03 1.02 1.01 1 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 26 / 28
Conclusion Conclusion Build a general-equilibrium framework designed to study interactions of macroeconomic forces and disaggregated distributions Calibrate the model to Ghana Quantify the impact of an increase in the price of imported food Quantify the impact of a subsidy of domestic produced food MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 27 / 28
Conclusion Data: Urban Labor Force Distributions Employment Type Distribution, 2004-2012 avg. Self-Employed Unpaid Wage-Employed 28.5 48.5 23.0 Sector Distribution of Wage Employees, 2006-2012 avg. Manuf. Agriculture Other Public 18.5 2.6 71.7 7.2 Sector Distribution of Self-Employed, 2006-2012 avg. Manuf. Services Trading 17.8 24.9 57.3 23% of urban labor force wage-employed; of them 7% public sector Urban labor force < 1/2 population. Mostly non-agricultural. In 2012 GLSS, 51% of labor force is in agriculture. There are trends over the period, not sure how reliable. Income Trends MPT (IMF; ITAM, UCSD) Distributional Implications of Shocks September 2014 28 / 28