Some economists have questioned whether the establishment of a currency
board was a mistake for Argentina. They note that although Argentina tied itself to
the American currency area as if it were Utah or Massachusetts, it did not benefit
from adjustment mechanisms that enable the American currency area to work
smoothly in the face of negative external shocks. For example, when unemployment
rose in Argentina, its people could not move to the United States where jobs were
relatively plentiful. Also, Federal Reserve policy was geared to the conditions of the
United States rather than to Argentina. Moreover, the U.S. Congress did not target
American fiscal policy on problem areas in Argentina. As a result, the negative
shocks to the Argentine economy were dealt with by wage and price deflation. It
was a consequence of having fixed its currency rigidly to the dollar.