Comparing the institutional and organizational design of currency boards in transition countries

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Institucinis ir organizacinis valiutos modelis; Institucinė analizė; Palyginimas; Pereinamojo laikotarpio šalys; Pinigų politika; Valiutų valdyba; Comparing; Currency board; Institutional analysis; Monetary policy; The institutional and organizational design of currency; Transition countries.

ENThe article carries out a comparative and descriptive analysis of the currency boards that have been introduced in three East European countries: Bulgaria, Estonia, and Lithuania. The initial conditions and specific features of currency boards in these three countries are presented in detail. There is also a focus on the institutional, organizational, legal, and political characteristics of these currency boards. Special attention is given to deviations from the orthodox currency board framework. Currency boards in the countries under consideration limit the scope for monetary policy, due to the presence of atypical balance sheet items and the employment of a number of monetary policy instruments. The comparison of currency board operation in the three countries reveals significant differences in the historical background of currency board adoption, institutional design, and overall macroeconomic framework. This observation does not fit completely with the generally accepted view that currency boards in the three transition economies function in a similar pattern and that the differences among them are insignificant. The article suggests some new directions for the analysis of currency boards in transition countries. [From the publication]