Dutch disease and fiscal policy

We study the implications of the so-called Dutch disease in a small open economy that receives signifficant inflows of funds due to an extraordinary increase in the international price of minerals. We consider three sectors, the tradeable sector, the booming sector and the non-tradeable sector in an otherwise standard real-business-cycle model. We find that the booming sector, that benefits from high international prices, induces the Dutch disease, that is, the tradeable sector declines, the real exchange rate appreciates, wages increase and the non-tradeable sector improves. We then introduce fiscal policies that aim to alleviate the consequences of the Dutch disease. One particular rule that boosts the productivity of firms seems to offset the effects of the Dutch disease.