The effectiveness of macroprudential policies in managing extreme capital flow episodes

Against the backdrop of a proliferation of policy tools in recent years, there is ongoing policy uncertainty surrounding the suitability of capital flow management in mitigating systemic risk and financial disruptions. We study the effectiveness of macroprudential policies in managing extreme capital flow episodes (surges, stops, flight, and retrenchment), comparing them to capital controls and foreign exchange interventions. Using propensity score matching, based on a panel of 54 countries spanning 1990Q1 to 2020Q3, we find that macroprudential policy can reduce the likelihood of extreme capital flow episodes at least as effectively as capital controls or foreign exchange interventions. Their relative effectiveness, however, varies considerably across type of instrument, proliferation of tools, country income-development level, and type of extreme capital flow episode.