Emerging economies have been the beneficiaries of sharply increased volumes of international capital inflows in the past decade. These inflows have eased foreign financing constraints and offered the potential for higher investment and growth. At the same time, they have posed challenges for policy makers by threatening to fuel inflation, adversely affect international competitiveness, and undermine domestic banking stability. The essays in this volume provide a timely and useful comparison of the experiences of emerging Pacific Basin countries in both Asia and Latin America.

Recent financial crises illustrate the risks of financial volatility and macroeconomic instability during the process of economic growth and development. They also raise issues regarding the management of risks associated with liberalization and global integration. Concerns about the implications of international capital flows for developing countries have grown with the sharply increased volume of these flows since the late 1980s. Some have argued that emerging markets have been the innocent victims of mercurial global investors, while others have questioned the appropriateness of specific...