01758cas a2200241 a 4500 AALejournalIMF011718 230101c9999 xx r poo 0 0eng d 5.00 USD 9781463937799 1018-5941 BD-DhAAL BD-DhAAL Ivanova, Anna. Current Account Imbalances : Can Structural Policies Make a Difference? / Anna Ivanova. Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2012. 1 online resource (35 pages) IMF Working Papers <strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required <strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students The discussion of global and regional imbalances has put the spotlight on the possible link between current accounts and structural policies. Drawing on standard empirical current account models, the paper finds that the commonly recommended structural factors cannot explain the widening of imbalances prior to the 2008 - 09 crisis. That said, structural factors do help explain some part of long-standing cross-country differences in the current account levels. In particular, countries with stricter credit market regulation, higher taxes on businesses, lower minimum wage (in particular,in slow growing economies) and generous unemployment benefits tend to have higher current account balances than others. Mode of access: Internet IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 2012/061 Full text available on IMF http://elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/001/2012/061/001.2012.issue-061-en.xml IMF e-Library