Blocking the exodus or repatriation of capital, as some of the newer participants in the international financial system appear inclined to do after they get into trouble, is, of course, the equivalent of the economy receiving a subsidized injection of funds.
If liquidity is tight, the immediate effect of controls can be relief from the strain of meeting obligations and a temporary sense of well-being. This is an illusion however. The obvious consequence of confiscating part, or all, of foreign investors’ capital and/or income, is to ensure a sharp reduction in the availability of new foreign investment in the future.