Such concerns have led to renewed interest in the effectiveness and design of macroprudential policies and the possible use of capital controls–that is, measures that treat transactions between residents and nonresidents less favorably than those among residents–in helping to manage financial-stability risks associated with inflows. But, to date, a systematic look at the impact of macroprudential policies and capital controls on the financial-stability risks associated with inflows has been lacking. This paper thus aims to fill a gap in the existing literature by examining the nexus between various macroprudential policies, controls on capital inflows, and economic
and financial stability. As regards capital controls, we focus exclusively on inflow controls. For the purpose of our analysis, we group the available policy tools into four broad categories: (i) domestic prudential regulations, (ii) foreign currency (FX)-related prudential measures, (iii) financialsector specific capital controls, and (iv) economy-wide capital controls. We then assess the relationship between these various measures on the structure of external liabilities; the growth of domestic banking system credit; and the currency composition of domestic bank lending. To the extent that portfolio debt is the riskiest type of external liability, and credit booms–especially in foreign currency–can exacerbate financial fragilities, measures that reduce these vulnerabilities should be associated with greater resilience of the economy to financial crises. To test this hypothesis, we exploit the “natural experiment” afforded by the recent (2008–09) global financial crisis, which triggered downturns of varying intensities across emerging market economies, and see whether countries that had prudential measures and capital controls in place before the crisis also fared better during the crisis (controlling for other characteristics). We also test this idea using a panel dataset of EME financial crises over the period 1995–2008.