Dutch Disease Hypothesis and Policy Responses
Four main aspects of Dutch disease can be detected: (1) real exchange rate appreciation; (2) declining input of factors into non-booming sectors; (3) declining exports and output in non-booming sectors, associated with; (4) declining real GDP (Corden and Neary,1982). Data constraints lead us to looks for the presence of Dutch disease in terms of real exchange rate appreciation and declining labor productivity. According to the World Bank (2011), the real effective exchange rate appreciated by a total of 50% between 2001 and 2009. 1Labor productivity in Laos was stagnant between 2005 and 2006 relative to other countries in the same income group (World Bank, 2010). Manufacturing exporters are less profitable than non-exports because exporters face elastic world demand and have more difficulty adjusting to higher labor and trade costs. Real wages have been growing in both the private and public sectors in recent years. In this sense, the natural resources boom can be said to have negatively impacted labor productivity, especially among manufacturing exporters. The symptoms of Dutch disease will become much more prominent as revenues from the resource sector increase over the medium run. However, Dutch disease can be avoided or mitigated though various approaches, including adjustments to fiscal policy, exchange rate policy and foreign borrowing strategies. However, the government has yet to formulate a comprehensive policy strategy to avoid or mitigate negative impacts of the booming resource sector on the Lao economy. 2 The Lao government should thus look into comprehensive and appropriate policy and strategies to cope with the effects of rising real exchange rates.