Dollarization: A Double-Edged Sword for Ecuador

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Dollarization is the replacement of a country’s domestic currency with that of a foreign currency. Dollarization has occurred in several countries including, but not limited to, Panama, El Salvador, and Ecuador. For countries with volatile currencies, dollarization offers them the ability to stabilize their economy. While dollarization has its pros, it is not without its cons, and for Ecuador, this is no exception. In my initial discussion, I believed that dollarization was a positive move for Ecuador; I still feel this way, and now that I have gained a bit more knowledge concerning the macro economy system, I understand how dollarization aided in Ecuador’s economy to stabilize. However, with all the positives associated with Ecuador’s adoption of the dollar, there are negative aspects as well, and there is no indication of how Ecuador will fair in the long run. In addition, the implications are not limited to the dollarizing country alone; there are pro et contra to the United States and the economies of countries surrounding Ecuador. Ecuador is considered one of the poorest and most vulnerable countries in Latin America, and approximately 15 …show more content…

Counterfeiting, a loss of identity, and the costs associated with changing everyday transactions to American currency. Counterfeiting is a major issue in Ecuador, and this problem was expected to grow exponentially with the implementation of the dollar because banking personnel have not been as well trained to spot the fake bills. Currency is often times considered to be a symbol of one’s country, and dollarization means the loss of one those symbols. Furthermore, it will take a great deal of time, energy and money to reprogram cash registers, computers, and software to convert Sucre prices to U.S. dollar prices. Business employees will also need to be reeducated and retrained in order to better handle the inflow of U.S.

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