Was Dollarization a Success in Zimbabwe?
CHAPTER ONE
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1. Introduction
At independence in 1980 the Zimbabwe dollar replaced the Rhodesian dollar at par at a rate which was higher than the American dollar. Although this quickly deteriorated, it was not until the late nineties that a series of events led to the demise of the Zimbabwean dollar. In 2008 in an 18-month ‘experiment’, foreign currency was accepted as legal tender for transactions with a set number of retailers.
“Honorable Members will be aware that in the hyper-inflationary environment characterizing the economy at present, our people are now using multiple currencies for day to day business transactions, alongside the Zimbabwe dollar. These currencies include the South African Rand (ZAR), United States Dollar (USD), Botswana Pula (BWP), Euro, and British Pound Sterling, among others. In line with the prevailing practices by the general public, Government is, therefore, allowing the use of multiple foreign currencies for business transactions, alongside the Zimbabwe dollar.”[1]
However, months later, in March of 2009, the newly instated Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, announced that the Zimbabwe dollar would be suspended indefinitely.[2]
The main argument in this piece is that the Zimbabwean crisis in the 2000s and the subsequent stabilization of the economy were made possible by the dollarization of the Zimbabwean economy in 2009. This article investigates the recent monetary experience of Zimbabwe with dollarization. It shows how dollarization has allowed Zimbabwe to quash hyper-inflation[3], restore stability, increase budgetary discipline, and re-establish monetary credibility.
This paper analyses the effects of the dollarization of the Zimbabwean economy in 2009, in the wake of devastating hyper-inflation and a political crisis that reached its zenith with the electoral crisis of 2008. Though there is a direct nexus between the two processes, the former cannot be exclusively ascribed to the latter; there are a host of other issues
[pic]
1. Introduction
At independence in 1980 the Zimbabwe dollar replaced the Rhodesian dollar at par at a rate which was higher than the American dollar. Although this quickly deteriorated, it was not until the late nineties that a series of events led to the demise of the Zimbabwean dollar. In 2008 in an 18-month ‘experiment’, foreign currency was accepted as legal tender for transactions with a set number of retailers.
“Honorable Members will be aware that in the hyper-inflationary environment characterizing the economy at present, our people are now using multiple currencies for day to day business transactions, alongside the Zimbabwe dollar. These currencies include the South African Rand (ZAR), United States Dollar (USD), Botswana Pula (BWP), Euro, and British Pound Sterling, among others. In line with the prevailing practices by the general public, Government is, therefore, allowing the use of multiple foreign currencies for business transactions, alongside the Zimbabwe dollar.”[1]
However, months later, in March of 2009, the newly instated Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, announced that the Zimbabwe dollar would be suspended indefinitely.[2]
The main argument in this piece is that the Zimbabwean crisis in the 2000s and the subsequent stabilization of the economy were made possible by the dollarization of the Zimbabwean economy in 2009. This article investigates the recent monetary experience of Zimbabwe with dollarization. It shows how dollarization has allowed Zimbabwe to quash hyper-inflation[3], restore stability, increase budgetary discipline, and re-establish monetary credibility.
This paper analyses the effects of the dollarization of the Zimbabwean economy in 2009, in the wake of devastating hyper-inflation and a political crisis that reached its zenith with the electoral crisis of 2008. Though there is a direct nexus between the two processes, the former cannot be exclusively ascribed to the latter; there are a host of other issues
Bibliography: (b) Journals The “According to “Kararach G, Kadenge P, and Guvheya G, (2010)