Loening, JosefIanchovichina, ElenaWood, Christina2012-12-122012-12-122012-03https://hdl.handle.net/10986/11976This paper presents new estimates of pass-through coefficients from international to domestic food prices by country in the Middle East and North Africa. The estimates indicate that, despite the use of food price subsidies and other government interventions, a rise in global food prices is transmitted to a significant degree into domestic food prices in many countries in the Middle East and North Africa, although cross-country variation is significant. In nearly all countries, domestic food prices are highly downwardly rigid. The finding of asymmetric price transmission suggests that not only international food price levels matter, but also food price volatility. High food pass-through tends to increase inflation pressures, where food consumption shares are high. Domestic factors, often linked to storage, logistics, and procurement, have also played a major role in explaining high food inflation in the majority of countries in the region.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOagricultural commoditiesAgricultural EconomicsAgricultural PriceAgricultural PricesAgricultureannual growthbarley pricesbeefbillbillsbreadCentral Bankcereal importscommoditiescommoditycommodity marketsCommodity pricecommodity pricesconsumer priceconsumer price indexconsumer pricesconsumption basketcore inflationcorncorn pricescurrencycustoms dutiesdependency ratiosdepreciationdeveloping countriesdeveloping economiesdomestic consumptiondomestic currencydomestic demanddomestic exchangedomestic exchange ratedomestic inflationdomestic marketdomestic marketsDomestic priceDomestic price levelsdomestic pricesEconomic DevelopmentsEconomic Policyedible oilseffective exchange rateEnergy Pricesexchange rateexchange rate choiceexchange rate fluctuationsexchange rate shocksexchange ratesexogenous factorsexpendituresexposureexternal factorsFaminefinancial crisisFiscal Balancesfiscal deficitsfood availabilityFood Chainfood consumptionfood crisisfood demandfood exportsFood Grainsfood importsfood insecurityfood marketsFood PolicyFood Policy ResearchFood Pricefood price analysisfood price controlsfood price inflationfood price subsidiesfood pricesfood productfood productsfood reservesfood securityfood subsidiesfood subsidyfoodstuffgaugegoldgovernment debtgovernment interventionsgrain pricesgrain reservesgrainsgrowth ratesIFPRIimportimport demandimport pricesimport protectionincomeincomesinflation expectationsinflation ratesinflationary expectationsinflationary pressuresinternational commodity pricesInternational Financial StatisticsInternational Food Policy Research Instituteinternational marketinternational marketsinternational priceInternational pricesinternational reservesLow-income Countriesmacroeconomic indicatorsmacroeconomic managementmarket conditionsmarket distortionsmarket exchange ratesmarket informationmarket infrastructuremeatnominal exchange rateOil Exportersoil exporting countriesOil Importersoil pricesoil productsolive oilpalm oilparticular countryPolitical Economypopulation growthprice controlprice controlsprice decreasePrice Distortionsprice fluctuationsprice increaseprice increasesprice indexPrice Instabilityprice levelprice levelsprice movementsprice policiesprice riskprice stabilityPrice Trendsprice volatilityproducer pricespublic policyregional traderetailretail pricericerisk managementsavingsseasonal factorsshortfallssorghumsoybeanstock managementsubsidy policiessugarsugar pricesugar pricessupply chainsupply curvetaxtotal importstransaction costsUncertaintywheatwholesale marketswholesale priceworld priceworld pricesWorld Bank10.1596/1813-9450-6018