Fixed exchange rates
In a system of fixed exchange rates the exchange rate is set to a particular value by unilateral decision or multilateral agreement on the political level.
At this exchange rate the central bank must buy or sell any amount of domestic currency that the market offers or demands.
This is tantamount to taking control of the money supply out of the central bank’s hands.
Figure 5.2 shows what an increase in government expenditures does to income under these conditions.
Again, higher government expenditures shift the IS curve to the right, and again the resulting income increase tends to push up the interest rate beyond the world interest rate. Now, however, the resulting excess demand for domestic currency cannot and need not be eliminated by appreciation. Instead, the central bank is obliged to supply just that amount of additional money that would-be buyers cannot find in the market.
So two things hap- pen, which did not happen under flexible exchange rates:
1 The exchange rate cannot appreciate, meaning that the IS curve cannot shift back. It remains in its new position IS1.
2 The domestic money supply increases due to the mandatory foreign exchange market intervention of the central bank, shifting the LM curve to the right.
The LM curve must continue to shift until it intersects IS1 at B.
It cannot come to a halt earlier because this would leave an incipient advantage for the domestic interest rate, creating excess demand for domestic money.
Moving from flexible to fixed exchange rates reverses the roles of fiscal and monetary policy.
Under flexible exchange rates monetary policy sets the limit and can enforce a complete crowding out of government expenditure.
Under fixed exchange rates fiscal policy is in the driver’s seat.
The exchange rate regime forces monetary policy to accommodate any government expen- diture increase so as to yield the full multiplier effect.